a paucity of work

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a paucity of work" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where there is a lack or scarcity of work available. Example: "Due to the economic downturn, there has been a paucity of work in the construction industry."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

In my experience as an academic researcher who studies police health and stress, I can say that there is a paucity of work on the effect of present-day negative stereotyping of police officers.

Huffington Post

There remains a paucity of work that examines the conceptual, operational, or psychometric equivalence of items currently measuring unmet health needs in languages other than English.

BMC Health Services Research

(Please refer to the full report for a detailed description of the methods [ 15].) A paucity of work has been done in Australia in terms of managerial leadership development for middle management in the aged care sector.

BMC Health Services Research

Initial findings from the review identified a paucity of work addressing the interactivity between models of experiential learning and models of patient care, despite the similarities regarding socio-cultural processes in each.

BMC Family Practice

There is a paucity of work addressing the evolution of biocontrol organisms in their introduced range (Roderick and Navajas 2003; Hufbauer and Roderick 2005), but there is emerging evidence that evolution is associated with establishment (Phillips et al. 2008; but see Hufbauer 2001).

Evolutionary Applications

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

There is the more bearable but still difficult trauma of disruption: the businesses of Chinatown all but closed, hurt by a drop in tourism, diverted traffic and a paucity of working phones.

The New York Times

Temkin is candid about how the tastes of her forebears at MOMA account for a paucity of works by de Kooning (only four paintings), the poetic and deft Bradley Walker Tomlin (two), and the most enduring talent of the second generation, Joan Mitchell (just one).

The New Yorker

Whilst this process is now well advanced there is currently no internationally agreed standard graphical notation system for building pathway diagrams and a paucity of worked examples of this type of notation in use.

BMC Systems Biology

Nevertheless, there is a paucity of works demonstrating the prognostic significance of apoptosis in CRC, and only some researches have reported statistically significant worse outcomes for patients with higher AIs [ 9, 10].

BMC Clinical Pathology

Psychological effects of Coronary Artery Bypass graft (CABG) have been of interest all over the world but there is a paucity of Indian work.

Medical Journal Armed Forces India

Therefore, it is difficult to analyze quantitatively linear thermal expansion and there is a paucity of theoretical work on the thermal expansion of anisotropic materials.

Nanoscale Research Letters

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a paucity of work" to describe situations where there is not enough work being done or available, especially in formal writing or when emphasizing the severity of the lack. For example, "The economic downturn resulted in a "paucity of work" for construction workers."

Common error

Avoid using "a paucity of work" in informal contexts or when a simpler term like "lack of work" would suffice. The phrase can sound overly formal or pretentious if not used appropriately.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a paucity of work" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as the subject or object of a sentence. It denotes a scarcity or lack of work, as supported by Ludwig's examples, where it describes limited job opportunities or insufficient activity in a particular field.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a paucity of work" is a noun phrase denoting a scarcity or lack of work. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and applicability in formal contexts such as science, news, and business writing. While less common than simpler alternatives like "a lack of work", it adds emphasis to the insufficiency. Effective use involves understanding its formal tone and avoiding overuse in casual settings. The phrase serves to highlight and underscore the severity of limited work opportunities.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a scarcity of work

Replaces "paucity" with "scarcity", indicating a limited availability.

a shortage of work

Substitutes "paucity" with "shortage", suggesting an insufficient amount.

a lack of work

Uses a simpler term, "lack", to indicate the absence of work.

a dearth of work

Replaces "paucity" with "dearth", conveying a severe lack.

limited work available

Expresses the concept using a more direct and descriptive approach.

insufficient work

Emphasizes the inadequacy of the amount of work.

few job opportunities

Focuses on the resulting situation, the limited opportunities for jobs.

a deficiency in work

Highlights the inadequacy of work using the word "deficiency".

an undersupply of work

Indicates that the amount of work available is less than what is needed or expected.

a trickle of work

Implies that work is coming in very slowly and in small amounts.

FAQs

How can I use "a paucity of work" in a sentence?

You can use "a paucity of work" to describe situations where there is a lack of available job opportunities or a general scarcity of work being done. For example, "The industry is facing "a paucity of work" due to automation".

What can I say instead of "a paucity of work"?

You can use alternatives like "a lack of work", "a shortage of work", or "limited work available" depending on the context.

Is "a paucity of work" formal or informal?

"A paucity of work" is generally considered a more formal expression. In informal contexts, phrases like "not much work" or "little work" might be more appropriate.

What's the difference between "a paucity of work" and "a lack of work"?

While both phrases indicate a deficiency, "a lack of work" is more straightforward and common. "A paucity of work" is more formal and emphasizes the scarcity or inadequacy more strongly.