had a marginal effect on

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had a marginal effect on" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the impact or influence of one thing on another, particularly when that influence is small or limited. Example: "The new policy had a marginal effect on employee productivity, with only a slight increase observed over the quarter."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

36 human-written examples

The soft data used for the cross-validation did contain the information from all stations (i.e., the station was not removed during the construction of the LUR) because removing individual stations from the leave-one-out analysis would have had a marginal effect on the construction of the LUR model and subsequent soft data [each station represents approximately 2% of the data (1/50 stations)].

Environmental Health Perspectives

With one exception, variable population size for different BC generations had a marginal effect on RPG recovery (Figure 1j).

Plosone

Standing in the new factory in Israel's Negev Desert that will replace the West Bank facility when it closes in two weeks, Daniel Birnbaum said the boycott movement has only had a "marginal" effect on his business.

The Guardian

The study found eight new gene regions that raise the risk of the disease, bringing the known total to 12. Together, these had a marginal effect on cancer risk, raising the chance of disease from 1.8%to4%4%.

The Guardian

The addition had a marginal effect on the nitrification rate.

Applied Water Science

Tween 80 had a marginal effect on the cellulase activities.

Bioresources and Bioprocessing

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

24 human-written examples

She said: "Ministers have ignored scientists' advice that a cull will have a marginal effect on bovine TB.

The Guardian

BeShears told me that she fears that this latest revelation will have a marginal effect on the vote.

The New Yorker

We will also work to repeal laws of all kinds that have a marginal effect on safety but a disproportionate effect on liberty.

The Guardian - Opinion

Other analysts have expressed skepticism that doctors and patients would embrace the drug, arguing that Botox has a marginal effect on headaches compared with a placebo.

The New York Times - Health

All the remaining variables only have a marginal effect on the ICER.

Health Economics Review

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using the phrase "had a marginal effect on", ensure that the context clearly indicates what was expected or what a significant effect would look like. This helps the reader understand the limited impact being described.

Common error

Avoid using "had a marginal effect on" when the effect was actually nonexistent or detrimental. Ensure that "marginal" accurately reflects a small, rather than absent or negative, influence.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had a marginal effect on" functions as a verb phrase indicating the degree of influence one thing has on another. Ludwig examples illustrate its use in describing situations where the impact is minimal or insignificant. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

75%

News & Media

22%

Formal & Business

3%

Less common in

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "had a marginal effect on" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression to indicate that something had a minimal or insignificant impact. Predominantly found in scientific and news contexts, as indicated by Ludwig, it serves to downplay the importance of a factor or intervention. While alternatives like "had a slight impact on" and "had a minimal influence on" exist, it's important to ensure the context aligns with the intended meaning, avoiding overstatements of the lack of impact. Ludwig AI validates its usability, reinforcing its place in formal and neutral communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had a slight impact on

Replaces "effect" with "impact" and "marginal" with "slight", indicating a minor influence.

had a minimal influence on

Substitutes "effect" with "influence" and "marginal" with "minimal", suggesting a very small degree of impact.

had a negligible effect on

Replaces "marginal" with "negligible", emphasizing the insignificance of the effect.

had a limited impact on

Uses "limited" instead of "marginal", conveying a restriction in the scope of the impact.

had little bearing on

Replaces "effect" with "bearing", indicating a weak connection or relevance.

scarcely affected

Uses the verb "affected" directly, preceded by "scarcely" to show the weak impact.

had an insignificant impact on

Replaces "marginal" with "insignificant", highlighting the lack of importance of the impact.

made little difference to

Uses a more colloquial expression to indicate a small or unnoticeable change.

exerted a weak influence on

Replaces "effect" with "influence" and uses "exerted" to show the application of a weak force.

had a trivial consequence for

Substitutes "effect" with "consequence" and "marginal" with "trivial", highlighting the unimportance of the outcome.

FAQs

What does "had a marginal effect on" mean?

It means something had a very small or insignificant impact on something else. The effect was so slight that it's barely noticeable or important.

What are some alternatives to "had a marginal effect on"?

You can use phrases like "had a slight impact on", "had a minimal influence on", or "had a negligible effect on" to express a similar idea.

Is it correct to say "had a marginal effect on"?

Yes, the phrase "had a marginal effect on" is grammatically correct and widely used, as confirmed by Ludwig AI. It's appropriate when describing something with a small or insignificant impact.

How can I use "had a marginal effect on" in a sentence?

Example: "The new policy "had a marginal effect on" employee productivity, with only a slight increase observed over the quarter."