The usage of the word "chance" in this context? [closed]

Context: "But it was a chance stumbling upon a run-down, yet functional, laboratory in his late grandfather's home that solidified the young man's enthusiasm for chemistry."

Could you give me some explanations, please? Thank you for helping me.

Solution 1:

This is an adjectival use of the word chance - which is normally a noun.

A "chance encounter", for example, is one that has been unplanned, or was unforeseen. It simply happened "by chance". So a "chance stumbling upon a run-down laboratory" is something that could not have been predicted, and was not arranged in any way. It was a fortuitous event which simply happened.

The OED explains the adjectival chance in the following way, with the examples shown.

That occurs or is by chance; happening to be such; casual, incidental. (Often unnecessarily hyphened.)

1676 in Court Leet Rec. Manch. (1888) VI. 15 John Sherdley Butcher for sellinge of two chance cowes vis. viiid.

1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 10 My Dealings were..not by a Shop or Chance Trade.

1732 True & Faithful Narr. in J. Swift Misc. III. ii. 255 There were five chance Auditors.

1833 H. Martineau Tale of Tyne i. 2 The chance amusements of former days.

1860 W. Collins Woman in White iii. i. 427 I parted with my chance companion.

1868 I. Saxon Five Years Golden Gate 181 Chance gains.

1883 ‘G. Lloyd’ Ebb & Flow II. 77 A chance paragraph in a book.