small phone call

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "small phone call" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to a brief or minor phone conversation. Example: "I just need to make a small phone call before we continue with the meeting."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

"There was one small phone call from them asking for a piece of information, and the person who received the request asked that it be submitted in a letter, and they never wrote".

The New York Times

We are thrilled by the number of followers or friends we have on our social media sites yet we can't make that one small phone call to a friend who is hurting or in pain.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Knocking Obama for insufficient bipartisanship, Gingrich recently noted that Clinton was expert at "little courtesies" and "a thousand small things," like a "phone call on a birthday".

The New York Times

"You have to make so much small talk on a phone call and go through personal assistants.

The New York Times - Style

Today, nothing is too juvenile, and no motive is too small: Make a prank phone call, subscribe your stoner friend's email to the FBI mailing list or ring some doorbells and run away.

Vice

President Barack Obama mostly made small talk in his congratulatory phone call to the World Cup champion U.S. women's soccer team.

Huffington Post

Tap the "All" button at the top of the screen to view all the outgoing and incoming calls recorded on your device (outgoing calls have a small phone icon with an arrow pointing upwards to distinguish it from incoming calls).

WikiHow

Having received a small amount of phone calls from citizens concerning the incident, The FCC decides to censor television under the orders of their straightforward chairman, Cobra Commander.

Wikipedia

Every donor centre has to decide whether to use considerable additional resources to gain the small benefits of phone calls.

BMC Health Services Research

In response, MCI said the initial findings of its weeklong inquiry indicated that the company had followed industry practices by routing calls through small phone companies to reduce access fee costs and said that the accusations against it were "wholly unsupported by evidence or law".

The New York Times

To make phone calls from the 300-acre campus, students must take turns, using prepaid calling cards, at small phone closets in each dormitory.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "small phone call" when you want to emphasize the brevity or relative unimportance of a telephone conversation. It's suitable when the call is quick, straightforward, and doesn't require significant time or effort.

Common error

Avoid using "small phone call" in contexts where the call, despite being brief, has significant consequences or requires careful handling. Overemphasizing its 'smallness' might undermine the importance of the message conveyed.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "small phone call" functions as a noun phrase modified by adjectives. "Small" describes the nature or duration of the "phone call". Ludwig AI confirms that this phrase is usable and grammatically sound.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

34%

Wiki

20%

Science

19%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Reference

8%

Academia

7%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "small phone call" is a grammatically correct and understandable phrase used to describe a brief or relatively unimportant telephone conversation. Ludwig AI validates its usability in written English. While not extremely frequent, it appears across various contexts, particularly in news, wiki articles and scientific papers. When using this phrase, be mindful of the context to avoid undermining the importance of a conversation if it carries significant weight. Alternatives like "brief phone call" or "quick call" can provide similar meaning. Remember, context matters when choosing the most appropriate phrase.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Brief phone call

Emphasizes the short duration of the call.

Quick call

Focuses on the speed and brevity of the call.

Short phone conversation

Replaces "call" with the more formal "conversation".

Minor telephone call

Substitutes "small" with "minor" to highlight the call's insignificance.

A little call

Uses "little" instead of "small" to convey a similar meaning.

Fleeting call

Highlights the very brief nature of the call.

Insignificant phone call

Emphasizes the unimportance of the telephone call.

Tiny call

Focuses on how short the call is.

A call of short duration

More formal way of expressing a brief phone call.

Brief chat on the phone

Replaces "call" with "chat" to suggest a casual conversation.

FAQs

How can I use "small phone call" in a sentence?

You can use "small phone call" to describe a brief or unimportant telephone conversation. For example, "I just need to make a small phone call before the meeting starts."

What's a more formal alternative to "small phone call"?

A more formal alternative would be "brief phone conversation". This substitutes the casual term "call" with the more formal "conversation".

What can I say instead of "small phone call" to emphasize the speed of the call?

To emphasize the speed, you can use "quick call". This alternative focuses on the rapid nature of the telephone conversation.

How does a "small phone call" differ from an "important phone call"?

A "small phone call" implies a short, possibly inconsequential conversation, while an "important phone call" suggests a conversation that carries significant weight or consequence, regardless of its length.