a marginal amount

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a marginal amount" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a quantity that is small or insignificant in comparison to something else. Example: "The changes in the budget resulted in a marginal amount of savings, which did not significantly impact the overall financial plan."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

18 human-written examples

"The fact of the matter is, we simply don't trade RINs, nor do we carry an inventory other than a marginal amount for compliance purposes," the statement said.

The New York Times

All four of the results for England are up on the previous round [2011], though mostly by a marginal amount, either within the range of sampling variation or simply regaining the loss that was suffered between 2007 and 2011.

The Guardian

"The buyback only helps to get debt down next year to around 176 percent of G.D.P. and annual debt servicing costs are reduced by just a marginal amount," said Dimitris Drakopoulos, a sovereign debt expert at Nomura in London.

The New York Times

I felt my wings were being clipped a little and persuaded her to let me write music with a marginal amount of energy for the aboriginal scene [Here to There], so the world would know that I could write stuff that wasn't all constrained in crinolined hoops.

The Guardian - Film

There is a marginal amount of romance at the end, but it's clear of sex, violence, much romance and yet still manages to bring you as close to tears and on the edge of your seat as much as a book that does have all of that.

The Guardian

Taken together, these findings mean that local newscasts cover only a marginal amount of science.

Science Magazine

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

41 human-written examples

By midnight on D-Day, June 6 , 1944 Allied forces held a truly marginal amount of terrain on the European landmass -- a few Normandy beaches and headlands, some isolated pockets of French soil further inland, all of it scattered over a disjointed front some 55 miles long.

The New York Times

The difference among (1), (2), and (3) is the marginal amount of data required per new speaker.

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

If we can have some marginal amount of slip on the segment below downtown Mashiki near the rupture initiation point, we may see a velocity pulse due to the directivity in the fault-parallel component as seen in Miyatake (2000).

Earth, Planets and Space

By contrast, USP13/5-5 had similar DUB activity as USP5, and both the proteins only co-precipitated with marginal amount of gp78 (lanes 2, 8).

eLife

However, despite this marginal amount of money, many universities have restricted access to the products and knowledge of publicly funded research in the hopes of gaining revenue windfalls from exclusive licensing of patents to large commercial entities such as pharmaceutical companies.

BMC International Health and Human Rights

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a marginal amount", ensure the context clearly establishes what the amount is marginal in relation to. Providing this reference enhances clarity and prevents ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "a marginal amount" when the quantity is, in fact, significant. Overstating the insignificance can mislead readers and undermine your message.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a marginal amount" functions as a determiner phrase modifying a noun. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage, pointing out it refers to a quantity that is small or insignificant.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

35%

Wiki

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a marginal amount" is a grammatically sound and frequently used expression, as verified by Ludwig AI. It's primarily employed to denote a quantity that is small or insignificant, often in comparison to something else. Analysis of usage patterns reveals its prevalence in science, news, and media. Related phrases include "a slight amount" and "a negligible quantity". When employing this phrase, remember to provide context to specify what the amount is marginal in relation to. Misunderstanding the scale of the amount is a common error to avoid. In summary, understanding the nuances of "a marginal amount" ensures precise and effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a slight quantity

Replaces "amount" with "quantity", emphasizing the smallness.

a small quantity

Uses "small" instead of "marginal", a more common synonym.

a negligible quantity

Highlights the insignificance of the amount.

a minimal quantity

Focuses on the extremely low nature of the amount.

a trivial amount

Emphasizes the lack of importance of the amount.

an insignificant amount

Directly states the amount's lack of significance.

a fractional amount

Implies the amount is just a small part of a whole.

a nominal amount

Suggests the amount is so small it's almost symbolic.

a tiny quantity

Uses "tiny" to vividly describe the small size.

a modicum

Replaces the entire phrase with a single word implying a small quantity.

FAQs

How can I use "a marginal amount" in a sentence?

Use "a marginal amount" to indicate a quantity that is small or insignificant compared to something else. For example, "The new policy resulted in "a marginal amount" of improvement."

What's a good alternative to "a marginal amount"?

Depending on the context, you could use "a slight amount", "a small amount", or "a negligible amount" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "marginal amount" without the article "a"?

While understandable, it is more grammatically correct and common to use the article "a" before "marginal amount", as in ""a marginal amount"".

What is the difference between "a marginal amount" and "a significant amount"?

"A marginal amount" implies a very small, almost negligible quantity, while "a significant amount" indicates a quantity that is substantial and noteworthy.