a minor progress

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a minor progress" is not correct in standard English; it should be "minor progress" without the article "a." You can use "minor progress" to describe a small or insignificant advancement in a particular area or task.
Example: "Despite the challenges, we have made minor progress in our project over the past few weeks."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Although this might be considered as a minor progress only, this yield difference is sufficiently pronounced to enable the MALDI MS characterization of the related oligosaccharides: the negative ion MALDI-TOF mass spectrum of the HA polysaccharide with the most pronounced sulfate content (dss = 3.0) subsequent to BTH digestion at the optimized conditions is shown in Figure 7.

BioMed Research International

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Six weeks later, his diplopia had returned and a progress CT abdomen demonstrated a minor progression of the liver lesions.

BMC Cancer

Legislative leaders met with Gov. George E. Pataki early today and made some minor progress toward an accord on a supplemental budget that would patch the holes in the austere spending plan passed two weeks ago.

The New York Times

A top administration official described the proceedings as "grueling" and said that even minor progress was a real victory.

The New York Times

Through much of last summer and into the fall, only minor progress was made in settling the dispute.

The New York Times

I spent many hours over several days on it, making minor progress, when finally at about 3 a.m. on the morning it was due I realized that the particular implementation I'd been assigned employed a code within a cipher.

The New York Times

Each fresh round of talks, typically begun with high hopes, provided the North with aid but eventually disintegrated after only minor progress on the dismantling of the North's nuclear weapons program.

The New York Times

Dr. Zeitoun said that while his ultimate goal was fair and sustainable water arrangements between countries, he had learned to savor minor progress — victories "so small that you can barely measure them".

The New York Times

In elections on Sunday, he narrowly defeated Mehmet Ali Talat, the incumbent president of the Turkish north, who has been engaged in talks with the president of Cyprus, Demetris Christofias, for the last 18 months, that have shown only minor progress.

The New York Times

Use of the recycled fine aggregate for the upper structures, however, shows minor progress because of the trade-off in aggregate quality and emission of fine particles.

Construction and Building Materials

There is hope that minor progress will pave the way for the discussion of wider issues like political transition next week, although there has been no sign of common ground on this so far.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to small advancements, use "minor progress" (without the article "a") to ensure grammatical correctness. For example, "Despite the challenges, we made minor progress on the project".

Common error

The phrase "a minor progress" includes an unnecessary article "a", which makes it grammatically incorrect. It's essential to omit the article when "progress" functions as an uncountable noun. For example, avoid saying "a minor progress", and instead say "minor progress".

Linguistic Context

The phrase, while grammatically questionable as per Ludwig AI, aims to function as a noun phrase, describing the degree of advancement or improvement. It intends to modify the noun "progress" with the adjective "minor". It serves to indicate that the advancement is small or insignificant.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Wiki

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "a minor progress" is used to describe a small advancement, it's considered grammatically incorrect in standard English due to the unnecessary article "a" before the uncountable noun "progress". Ludwig AI points out this grammatical issue, and it's more appropriate to say "minor progress" instead. The phrase is most commonly found in science and news contexts. Alternatives such as "slight advancement", "small improvement", and "limited headway" can be used to convey a similar meaning. It is important to note that the correct grammar is to say just "minor progress".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

slight advancement

Replaces "progress" with "advancement" and removes "minor" for a similar impact.

small improvement

Uses "improvement" instead of "progress", conveying a positive change of a limited degree.

limited headway

Employs "headway" to suggest forward movement, while "limited" indicates the extent.

modest gain

Replaces "progress" with "gain", suggesting a small increase or benefit.

marginal development

Uses "development" to denote growth, with "marginal" specifying the scale.

little forward movement

Expresses progress as "forward movement" and quantifies it with "little".

incremental progress

Describes progress as occurring in small increments or steps.

gradual advancement

Conveys progress as occurring gradually over time.

subtle progress

Suggests that progress is present, but not immediately obvious.

nominal progress

Indicates progress in name only, or of a very small degree.

FAQs

Is it grammatically correct to say "a minor progress"?

No, the correct phrase is "minor progress" without the article "a". The word "progress" is an uncountable noun in this context and does not require an article.

What does "minor progress" mean?

"Minor progress" refers to a small or insignificant advancement in a particular task, project, or situation.

What can I say instead of "a minor progress"?

You can use alternatives like "slight advancement", "small improvement", or "limited headway" to convey a similar meaning.

How can I use "minor progress" in a sentence?

Here's an example: "Despite facing several obstacles, the team has made minor progress in the negotiations."