a major portion of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a major portion of" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to a large part or amount of something relative to the whole. For example: "A major portion of the money raised was allocated to disaster relief efforts."

✓ Grammatically correct

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

To be more exact, in a major portion of H1N1/09 strains, U occurrence was similar to that of avian strains, but A occurrence (Ci) was similar to that of human seasonal strains; G and C occurrences (Ciii and Cii) differed from those of avian strains in approximately half and only in a partial portion of H1N1/09 strains, respectively.

BMC Infectious Diseases

And a boardwalk that runs along Milwaukee River, a continuing project that saw a major portion completed in 2005, gives the area a distinctly European flair.

The New York Times

The creek's watershed then became a major portion of the 1842 Rancho Niguel Mexican Land Grant to Juan Avila, later purchased by two American ranchers.

Wikipedia

The Court's decision took apart a major portion of the 2002 campaign finance law Feingold famously authored with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz)., prompting widespread Democratic fear that corporations could now spend unlimited amounts of money on "electioneering communications".

Huffington Post

Figure 7c shows the fragmentation status for the year 1999; the region lost a major portion of its interior forest and reached 40.74 % from 53.33 % (1989) with the increase in edge forests to 16.35 %.

Forest Ecosystems

2-19% of the reads mapped to other non-coding RNAs including snoRNA, rRNA, lincRNA, while a major portion of the reads 14-600%) remained unaligned in the 10 samples and perhaps could be indicative of contaminants.

BMC Genomics

After legislatures criminalized a major portion of juvenile delinquency in the 1980s and 1990s, large numbers of incarcerated youth began serving their sentences in adult correctional facilities.

Duke University

It is accepted that minerals may be remobilized from vegetative sources (Hocking and Pate1977; Himelblau and Amasino2001), although a major portion of minerals in seeds are likely supplied through continuous uptake and translocation during reproductive growth to developing seeds.

Rice

1972 – RLE's Bruno Coppi designs and constructs the first high-field toroidal plasma machine, the Alcator A tokamak. 1973 – A major portion of RLE moves into the new Sherman Fairchild Complex (Buildings 36 and 38).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The contemporary version of that same culture provides a major portion of the base for today's Republican Party.

Huffington Post

Of the fin whale stomachs sampled off British Columbia between 1963 and 1967, euphausiids dominated the diet for four of the five years (82.3 to 100% of the diet), while copepods only formed a major portion of the diet in 1965 (35.7%).

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a major portion of" when you want to emphasize that a part is not just large, but also important or impactful within the whole.

Common error

While grammatically sound, "a major portion of" can sound overly formal in casual writing. Consider using simpler alternatives like "most of" or "a lot of" for a more natural tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a major portion of" functions as a determiner phrase, modifying a noun to indicate that a significant part of something is being referenced. This highlights the size or importance of that part relative to the whole. Ludwig AI confirms that the phrase is grammatically correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a major portion of" is a grammatically sound and usable expression used to indicate a significant part of something. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness. While versatile, it carries a slightly formal tone, making it suitable for diverse writing styles. Consider simpler alternatives like "most of" for more informal contexts. Due to the lack of available example sentences, definitive conclusions regarding frequency and usage patterns are not currently possible.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a significant part of

Replaces 'major' with 'significant', suggesting importance and size.

a large segment of

Uses 'segment' to emphasize a distinct section of a whole.

a considerable amount of

Focuses on the quantity or degree being substantial.

a substantial fraction of

More formal; uses 'fraction' to highlight the proportional aspect.

the greater part of

Emphasizes that this portion is larger than any other single part.

most of

A simpler, more direct way to express that something constitutes the majority.

a good deal of

More informal; implies a large quantity.

a sizable chunk of

Informal; suggests a physically large portion.

the bulk of

Highlights that the portion represents the main mass or volume.

a dominant share of

Suggests that the portion has control or influence due to its size.

FAQs

How can I use "a major portion of" in a sentence?

You can use "a major portion of" to indicate that a significant part of something is being referred to. For instance, "A major portion of the budget was allocated to marketing."

What are some alternatives to "a major portion of"?

Alternatives include "a significant part of", "a large segment of", or "a considerable amount of", depending on the context.

Is "a major portion of" formal or informal?

"A major portion of" tends to be more formal. In informal contexts, phrases like "most of" or "a lot of" might be more appropriate.

What's the difference between "a major portion of" and "most of"?

While similar, "a major portion of" often implies a slightly more formal or analytical tone than "most of". The latter is more commonly used in everyday language.