a marginal modification

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a marginal modification" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a small or minor change made to something, such as a document, process, or design. Example: "The committee approved a marginal modification to the proposal to enhance its clarity."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

In the highlands (Alta Murgia) karst crops out in different forms and textures which have been preserved up to the 1970s: little evolved agriculture and sheep rearing produced only a marginal modification of the epikarst while a high degree of division into parcels by drystone walls helped in preserving soils from erosion.

Engineering Geology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Later came co-firing, a marginal change.

The Economist

We used a previously developed survey with only marginal modifications.

BMJ Open

Because marginal modifications might massively influence the efficacy of a mAb, every new therapeutic mAb should thoroughly be examined in vitro concerning its FcγR interactions, focusing especially on the compartments this interaction will likely take place in.

Nature

It is shown that taking into account the QC effects leads to marginal modifications of the predicted evaporation/condensation coefficient, particularly at temperatures which are not close to the critical temperature.

Fuel

This implies that the changes to it are necessarily slow and efforts of change face significant difficulties, unless they are marginal modifications or additions.

European Journal of Futures Research

The advantage of this strategy is that the common IDM-STC detection scheme could be applied with only marginal modifications to the system, e.g., the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code has to be exploited by the relays in order to determine the decoding success and to adaptively select only the correctly decoded messages.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

The CBMN test was performed according to the original method [ 33] with marginal modifications for adaptation to A549 cells.

BioMed Research International

The production and purification processes established for the 1st-generation therapeutic antibodies could be applied, with only marginal modifications, to establish the 2nd-generation processes.

BMC Biotechnology

Strikingly, thymuses from age-matched p66−/− mice showed a marked delay in the weight-loss and involution process, little variation in the frequency of proliferating and senescent cells and marginal modifications in the expression of G2-M genes.

Aging Cell

Polyclonal neuroblastoma cell lines stably expressing either HOXC9 or GFP under the control of the reverse tetracycline-controlled transactivator were generated using the RevTet System (Clontech) according to the manufacturer's instructions with marginal modifications (Supplementary Materials and Methods).

Cell Death and Disease

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a marginal modification" when you want to downplay the significance of a change, suggesting it is minor and doesn't fundamentally alter the original thing.

Common error

Avoid using "a marginal modification" when the change substantially alters the original. Using it in that context would be misleading. Reserve it for truly minor adjustments.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a marginal modification" functions as a noun phrase, where "marginal" acts as an adjective modifying the noun "modification". Ludwig AI confirms that it is a grammatically correct and usable phrase. It typically specifies the degree or extent of a change.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

35%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

32%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a marginal modification" describes a minor or insignificant change. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it's grammatically correct and suitable for various contexts. Its function is to downplay the extent of a change, serving primarily to manage expectations, and it is used in Science, News & Media, and Formal & Business contexts. While many sources show the use of this term, remember to only use this phrase when the changes are truly minor and not of significant impact. Alternatives like "a slight adjustment" or "a minor alteration" can be used to express a similar meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a slight adjustment

Focuses on the act of adjusting, implying a more active change.

a minor alteration

Highlights the act of altering, suggesting a more formal or documented change.

a small refinement

Emphasizes improving something through a subtle change.

a modest adjustment

Uses "modest" to further underscore the limited scale of the change.

a negligible change

Emphasizes that the change is so small it's almost not worth noting.

a trivial adjustment

Implies the change is not significant or important.

a minimal revision

Highlights that the change is part of a reviewing process, and the change is minimal.

a subtle variation

Emphasizes the nuanced nature of the change.

a touch-up

Suggests a superficial change, like fixing a minor imperfection.

a tweak

Implies a very small and precise adjustment, often in technical contexts.

FAQs

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

You can use "a marginal modification" to describe a small or minor change made to something. For example, "The software update included "a marginal modification" to the user interface".

What's the difference between "a marginal modification" and "a slight change"?

While both phrases indicate a small alteration, "a marginal modification" often implies the change is so minor it has little impact, whereas "a slight change" is a more general term for any small change.

Is it ever appropriate to use "a marginal modification" in formal writing?

Yes, it is appropriate in formal writing when accurately describing a minor adjustment. Its use depends on the context and the need to emphasize the small scale of the alteration.

What can I say instead of "a marginal modification" if I want to emphasize the positive impact of the change?

If you want to emphasize the positive impact, consider using phrases like "a significant improvement" or "a valuable enhancement" depending on the context. These alternatives highlight the benefit of the change, unlike "a marginal modification" which focuses on its size.