valuable experience — important lesson
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
an event or situation that teaches you something useful or helps you grow as a person
Say it like a native
Textbook The internship constituted a highly beneficial formative experience.
Native The internship was a really valuable experience.
'Valuable experience' is the natural collocation; the formal version is overwritten.
Pattern: a valuable experience (for someone); gain/have/provide valuable experience
In use
- Working part-time during university was a valuable experience for me.daily life
- I believe studying abroad is a valuable experience because it helps students become more independent and open-minded.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ It was a valuable experiences.
✓ It was a valuable experience.
Singular here — 'a valuable experience'.
Common collocations
valuable experience + gain— gain valuable experience, a valuable experience, really valuable, prove
Don't confuse it
Not about the cost or price, but about the benefit or lesson learned.