small amount of knowledge

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "small amount of knowledge" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a limited or minimal understanding of a subject or topic. Example: "Despite his small amount of knowledge on the subject, he was eager to learn more."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

Two bits of impressive rugby chat from one small amount of knowledge.

The Guardian - Sport

Sports Direct is up 14p at 609p and analysts at its broker Espirito Santo said: The relevant issues here are what Sports Direct's intentions are, the financial implications and how to probability-weight a small amount of knowledge into the share prices of Sports Direct and Debenhams.

The Guardian - Business

The federation is realizing, he said, "that a very few trainers or owners are out there envisioning themselves as the veterinary managers of these horses, and they are giving a lot of medication with a small, very small, amount of knowledge, and to us that's scary".

The New York Times

The main challenge of toxicity studies exploring ENM toxicity is so far the small amount of knowledge, and hence more systematic and mechanistic studies of ENM are urgently needed.

Handbook of Nanosafety Measurement, Exposure and Toxicology

Do you support the current policy?" The framing of the question posited no small amount of knowledge on the part of the two candidates.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

We decided that some help was probably better than no help, so we decided to focus on generating questions that tapped only small amounts of knowledge.

Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning

The results showed that using small amount of prior knowledge was able to significantly improve the clustering results; also the more specific prior knowledge used the better in improving the quality of clustering.

BioData Mining

In addition, we present a symmetric matrix co-factorization (SMCF) method to incorporate additional knowledge pertaining to chemical properties in estimating the substitution tendencies among ions with extremely small amount of previous knowledge in the database.

Expert Systems with Applications

We used a small amount of prior knowledge to test the effectiveness of SSCC (Table 2).

BioData Mining

Designing algorithms which work best with a small amount of prior knowledge, such as less than 20 pairwise constraints, will be very useful for clustering microarray data.

BioData Mining

From her perspective, those experiences lent her just "a small amount of patent knowledge --enough to give her confidence when she applied for, and started, her present job, but it was only a small taste of the variety that confronts tech transfer professionals every worknowledge --enough

Science Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "small amount of knowledge", clarify the specific area or subject to which the limited knowledge pertains for better context.

Common error

Avoid using "small amount of knowledge" to describe your own skills in situations where expertise is expected; it can undermine your credibility. Instead, focus on your willingness to learn and improve.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "small amount of knowledge" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as the object of a verb or preposition. It quantifies the extent of one's understanding or familiarity with a particular subject. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Wiki

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "small amount of knowledge" is a grammatically sound and usable expression in English, indicating a limited understanding of a topic. As Ludwig AI confirms, it effectively communicates a lack of comprehensive expertise. While generally neutral in tone, choosing more precise alternatives like "limited knowledge" or "basic understanding" may be preferable in formal settings. It's important to use this phrase judiciously, especially when describing one's own capabilities, to avoid undermining credibility. The phrase sees usage across a variety of contexts, including news media, science, and even how-to guides.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

limited knowledge

Replaces "small amount" with a single word indicating restriction.

limited understanding

Directly states the restriction in comprehension.

basic understanding

Emphasizes the foundational nature of the knowledge.

elementary knowledge

Highlights the initial or fundamental level of understanding.

superficial knowledge

Suggests a lack of depth in understanding.

rudimentary understanding

Implies a very basic and undeveloped level of knowledge.

scant knowledge

Emphasizes the scarcity or sparseness of the knowledge.

minimal expertise

Focuses on the lack of specialized skill or proficiency.

cursory understanding

Suggests a hasty and not thorough comprehension.

modest familiarity

Indicates a moderate level of acquaintance with a topic.

FAQs

What's a good way to use "small amount of knowledge" in a sentence?

You can use "small amount of knowledge" to describe someone's limited understanding of a subject, as in: "Despite his "small amount of knowledge" about astrophysics, he was eager to learn more."

What can I say instead of "small amount of knowledge"?

You can use alternatives like "limited knowledge", "basic understanding", or "superficial knowledge" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

How does "small amount of knowledge" differ from "extensive knowledge"?

"Small amount of knowledge" implies a lack of information or understanding, while "extensive knowledge" suggests a comprehensive and thorough understanding of a subject. They are near antonyms.

Is it appropriate to use "small amount of knowledge" in a formal setting?

Yes, it's appropriate, but consider the context. In formal settings, it's often better to use more precise terms like "limited expertise" or "rudimentary understanding" to maintain professionalism.