a small money

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a small money" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct expression would typically be "a small amount of money." Example: "I only have a small amount of money left in my wallet after shopping."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

Baker won a small money tournament on clay in Chattanooga, Tenn., in June, then entered a Futures event in Pittsburgh in July.

The New York Times

In August 1990, Mr. Streur left Wall Street to become a partner in a small money management firm, the Burridge Group, in Chicago.

The New York Times

Mustafa Barrie, 65, helps his friend run a small money changing business under a brightly coloured umbrella on a roadside in Monrovia.

The Guardian

He began the 2013 season not in Australia but at a small money tournament in the north of England, losing the final to a player ranked outside the top 600.

The New York Times

Hutton, a brokerage firm that was acquired in 1987 by Shearson (now part of Citigroup); his uncle Jonathan J. Bush ran a small money management operation that was later sold to Riggs Bank; and a second cousin, George Herbert Walker IV, is a managing director at Goldman Sachs.

The New York Times

Providence has a small money management firm that takes positions in Denton's targeted stocks.

Forbes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

"What appears to be a small money-laundering case, you never know where it will go".

The New York Times - Sports

The Mohawks already have a small money-losing casino at their tribal home on the Canadian border near Hogansburg, N.Y.

The New York Times

He started a small money-management business in the nineteen-nineties and built it into a juggernaut, and Gregory Zuckerman's recent account of Paulson's triumph, "The Greatest Trade Ever," offers a fascinating perspective on the predator thesis.

The New Yorker

For firms badly behaved or unlucky enough to be targeted, a 311 designation is more often than not a death sentence.The latest use of the power, in March, was against Banca Privada d'Andorra, a small money-manager based in the mountainous financial haven nestled between France and Spain.

The Economist

Mr. Craig, who played critical roles in building the Janus Capital Corporation from a small money-management operation in Denver into the fifth-biggest mutual fund company in the country, said he had resigned to manage money for a charitable foundation that his wife will run.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Instead of using the phrase "a small money", use more common and grammatically correct alternatives such as "a small amount of money" or "a small sum".

Common error

Avoid using "money" as a countable noun in this context. "Money" is generally an uncountable noun, so it's better to say "a small amount of money" rather than treating "money" as countable, like "a small car".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a small money" attempts to function as a noun phrase, intending to describe a limited quantity of funds. However, as Ludwig AI indicates, this phrasing is grammatically incorrect in standard English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Wiki

20%

Science

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a small money" is considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. As Ludwig AI points out, it is better to use alternatives like "a small amount of money" or "a small sum". While the phrase appears in some contexts, primarily in News & Media, it's essential to opt for grammatically sound alternatives in both formal and informal communications to ensure clarity and correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a small amount of money

Replaces the less common "a small money" with a standard, grammatically correct phrase.

a modest sum

Uses "sum" to emphasize the quantity of money and "modest" to convey its small size.

a little cash

Employs "cash" to denote readily available money, and "little" to indicate its small quantity.

a minor transaction

Focuses on the financial activity being small in scale, rather than directly referring to the amount of money.

a petty expense

Highlights that the money is related to a minor cost or expenditure.

a small contribution

Implies that the money is being given or donated, emphasizing its small size.

a negligible fee

Suggests the money is related to charges or payments and is very small.

limited funds

Focuses on the scarcity of financial resources, rather than a specific small amount.

meager savings

Highlights that the money represents a small accumulation of savings.

a nominal charge

Indicates a small fee that is symbolic rather than substantial.

FAQs

What's a more grammatically sound alternative to "a small money"?

The correct way to express this idea is with phrases like "a small amount of money" or "a small sum", which are both grammatically proper.

Is it ever correct to use "a small money" in formal writing?

No, "a small money" is not considered correct in formal or standard English. Alternatives like "a small amount of money" are always preferable.

How can I use "a small amount of money" in a sentence?

You could say, "I only need a small amount of money to buy groceries for the week".

What's the difference between "a small money" and "a small fortune"?

"A small money" is generally considered ungrammatical, while "a small fortune" refers to a significant amount of money, ironically portrayed as small, and the former is not considered proper English.