a significant damage

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a significant damage" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct form would be "significant damage" without the article "a." Example: "The storm caused significant damage to the coastal areas."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

19 human-written examples

In particulate-reinforced viscoelastic materials, the interfacial debonding between particles and matrix is usually a significant damage mechanism.

Computational Materials Science

A significant damage to the historical architectures in the Durbar Square of Downtown Kathmandu was observed, while the damage to masonry structures in the surrounding area was limited.

Soils and Foundations

In such cases, there is a significant damage accumulation as a result of multiplicity of earthquakes, and due to lack of time, any rehabilitation action is impractical.

Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering

In particle or short-fiber reinforced composites, cracking of the reinforcements is a significant damage mode because the broken reinforcements lose load carrying capacity.

Acta Materialia

Simultaneously it comes along with higher numerical effort concerning modelling and computation which is justified only in case of important structures having a significant damage potential as it is with low coverage.

Visualization in Engineering

However, a significant damage enhancement factor has been observed for 1.8 MeV electron irradiation when the classic non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL) is used for calculating equivalent displacement damage.

Radiation Physics and Chemistry

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

41 human-written examples

In general it was found that in C/C SiC composites a significant damage-related increase in AE energy was observed close to the ultimate tensile stress.

Ceramics International

Using this modified device resulted in a fracture without any significant damage or effects on the surrounding soft tissue.

Journal of Experimental Orthopaedics

He felt that she had made it through the Gibson interview relatively unscathed-- not an A," certainly, bunscathed-- notant damage" either--and he wanted her to engage in significant preparation in advance of her encounscathed-- notic.

Huffington Post

During an earthquake, significant damage can result due to instability of the soil in the area affected by internal seismic waves.

Geoenvironmental Disasters

Landslides trapped fourteen families in the municipality of Ponce; a residence alongside a road suffered significant damage and had to be evacuated.

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to damage, avoid using the article "a" before "significant damage". Use "significant damage" instead. For example, "The flood caused significant damage to the town".

Common error

A common mistake is using the article "a" before "significant damage". This is incorrect because "damage" is an uncountable noun in this context. Always omit the article for proper grammar. For example, avoid saying "a significant damage" and instead say "significant damage".

Linguistic Context

The phrase functions as a noun phrase describing the extent of harm or impairment. While the phrase itself aims to quantify the magnitude of damage, Ludwig AI indicates that the inclusion of the article "a" is grammatically incorrect.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

79%

News & Media

17%

Wiki

4%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

While the phrase "a significant damage" appears frequently in various contexts, Ludwig AI highlights a critical grammatical error: the incorrect use of the article "a" before the uncountable noun "damage". The intended purpose is to express a considerable degree of harm, as seen in examples from scientific and news sources. However, it's more accurate and grammatically sound to use alternatives like "significant damage", "considerable damage", or "substantial damage". Remember to avoid using the article "a" before "significant damage" in standard written English to ensure grammatical correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

substantial damage

Replaces "significant" with "substantial", offering a synonym while maintaining the core meaning. It corrects the grammatical issue by omitting the article.

considerable damage

Substitutes "significant" with "considerable", providing another synonym for a large amount of damage, while correcting the article usage.

extensive damage

Replaces "significant" with "extensive", emphasizing the widespread nature of the damage and improving grammar.

major damage

Uses "major" instead of "significant" to describe the damage, offering a shorter and more direct way to express the same idea, and fixes the article issue.

serious damage

Emphasizes the severity of the damage by using "serious" as a descriptor, while ensuring correct grammatical structure.

severe damage

Similar to "serious damage", this phrase highlights the intensity of the damage while resolving the grammatical issue.

notable damage

Indicates that the damage is worthy of attention or easily observed. It also omits the unnecessary article.

marked damage

Suggests that the damage is clearly visible or noticeable, while adhering to proper grammar.

appreciable damage

Implies that the damage is significant enough to be measured or assessed, while avoiding grammatical errors.

significant amount of damage

This alternative rephrases to include the word "amount" to allow for proper grammatical usage of "significant" with the article "a".

FAQs

Is it correct to say "a significant damage"?

No, it is not correct. "Damage" is an uncountable noun in this context, so you should omit the article "a". The correct phrase is "significant damage".

What is a better way to say "a significant damage"?

Instead of "a significant damage", use phrases like "substantial damage", "considerable damage", or "extensive damage". These alternatives are grammatically correct and convey the same meaning.

Can I use "a" before damage in any context?

Yes, you can use "a" before "damage" when you are referring to a specific instance or type of damage. However, when describing the extent or severity of damage in general, it's best to omit the article and use "significant damage", "minor damage", etc.

What's the difference between "significant damage" and "a significant amount of damage"?

"Significant damage" is the standard, grammatically correct way to express a large degree of harm. "A significant amount of damage" is also grammatically correct, but it's more verbose. The word "amount" is used to accommodate the article, and this usage is correct.