a severe amount of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a severe amount of" is not correct in standard written English.
It is typically used incorrectly as "severe" is not an appropriate descriptor for "amount," which is usually quantified in terms of degree or intensity. Example: "The project faced a severe amount of challenges, which hindered its progress."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

"Clearly there's a severe amount of coastal damage and we need a clear weather window to start repairs," he added.

BBC

Cornwall Council said there had been "a severe amount of coastal damage" and the Environment Agency warned of extreme danger on the Cornish coast.

BBC

As cell lysis with hypochlorite is strongly exergonic and generates a severe amount of foam, in- or external cooling was applied, depending on the total volume of the vessel to prevent a strong temperature increase.

AMB Express

Cyclone Gavin and Hina's waves, storm surge and strong winds both caused a severe amount of coastal erosion on all of the country's nine atolls with about 6.7% of the land washed into the sea.

Wikipedia

Storm surge and strong winds from both cyclones caused a severe amount of coastal erosion on all of the country's nine atolls, with about 6.7% of land washed into the sea.

Wikipedia

A combined bladder and drinking chart is a commonly used measure of bladder function, but due to a severe amount of missing data we decided to use the 24PWT as the main outcome measure.

Clinical interventions in aging

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

In order to reduce the chance undergoing severe amount of MAI and exploiting the frequency selectivity of the fading channels, subchannel-based frame structure is proposed which allocate a smaller number of subcarriers to each ranging opportunity so that most of the RSSs are expected to transmit on disjoint sets of subcarriers with alleviated interference to each other [11 15].

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

Posting severe amount of pictures also creates severe amounts of status updates on your friends' News feeds.

WikiHow

For those unfamiliar with the situation, White suffers from an anxiety disorder that causes him to feel severe amounts of stress in somewhat uncomfortable situations.

Huffington Post

If we're looking just at the countries that suffer from the most severe amounts of pollution, the data changes dramatically.

TechCrunch

Even as evidence for climate change mounts and the consequences of the phenomenon become more severe, the amount of climate coverage on broadcast networks has plummeted.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing quantities, opt for grammatically sound alternatives like "a significant amount of" or "a considerable quantity of" instead of the less accepted phrase "a severe amount of".

Common error

Avoid using "severe" to describe quantities or amounts. "Severe" typically applies to conditions or problems, not measurable nouns. Incorrect: "a severe amount of rain". Correct: "heavy rainfall" or "a significant amount of rain".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a severe amount of" is used to attempt to quantify something, but its grammatical construction is questionable. Ludwig AI shows that it's not standard English. It is often replaced by phrases that more accurately and grammatically describe a large quantity or degree. The use of "severe" is typically reserved for describing the intensity of conditions rather than amounts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

42%

News & Media

33%

Wiki

17%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

8%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "a severe amount of" appears in some contexts, it is generally considered grammatically incorrect and not standard English. Ludwig AI indicates that "severe" is typically used to describe intensity, not quantity. As such, it is advisable to use alternatives such as "a significant amount of" or "a considerable quantity of" for clarity and grammatical correctness. The phrase is most often found in scientific and news contexts, but this doesn't validate its use; rather, it highlights the need for careful and precise language in these fields. When writing, remember that choosing the right words ensures your message is accurately conveyed and well-received.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a significant amount of

Replaces "severe" with "significant", providing a grammatically correct and commonly used alternative to describe a considerable quantity.

a considerable amount of

Similar to "significant", "considerable" denotes a noteworthy quantity or degree, improving the grammatical structure.

a substantial quantity of

Uses "quantity" to replace "amount" for better formal tone and "substantial" emphasizes the large size.

a large degree of

Focuses on the degree or intensity, replacing "amount" to suit abstract concepts and improve the phrase's correctness.

a great deal of

Offers an informal but grammatically sound substitute, emphasizing a large quantity or extent.

a high volume of

Specifically describes a large quantity in terms of volume, suitable for measurable items.

an excessive quantity of

Replaces "severe" with "excessive" to highlight that the amount is more than necessary or desirable.

an enormous quantity of

Uses "enormous" to replace "severe", giving more emphasis to the size of the quantity.

a considerable number of

Suitable for countable items, substituting "amount" with "number" for better grammatical accuracy.

a large proportion of

Highlights the ratio or fraction, rather than the absolute quantity, altering the focus of the expression.

FAQs

What are some alternatives to "a severe amount of"?

You can use alternatives such as "a significant amount of", "a considerable quantity of", or "a great deal of" depending on the context.

Is it grammatically correct to say "a severe amount of"?

According to linguistic analysis and standard English usage, "a severe amount of" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. It is preferable to use alternatives like "a significant amount of" or "a considerable quantity of".

When is it appropriate to use "severe" in a sentence?

"Severe" is appropriately used to describe the intensity or degree of something negative, such as "severe pain", "severe weather", or "severe consequences". It is not typically used to quantify amounts.

What is the difference between "a severe amount of" and "a significant amount of"?

"A severe amount of" is not considered standard English, while "a significant amount of" is grammatically correct and widely accepted. "Significant" appropriately quantifies the amount, whereas "severe" implies intensity or harshness, which is not suitable in this context.