minor

Everyday

1. Small or not very important; not serious: «a minor injury». tree →
2. (noun) In law, a person who is not yet an adult (under 18 in many countries). tree →
3. In music, a minor key or chord often sounds sad. tree →
4. (US) A second subject studied at university. tree →

In the lessons

In safety and first aid lessons: «minor cuts and scrapes» can be cleaned and covered with a plaster, but serious ones need a doctor. In law and online life: minors cannot buy some things and need a parent's permission. In music lessons: major sounds happy, minor sounds sad. Phrases: «a minor problem», «a minor character» (in a story).

Examples

• It was only a minor cut, so Mum put on a plaster. tree →
• There was a minor accident in the car park. tree →
• The shop cannot sell knives to minors. tree →
• This song is in a minor key and sounds sad. tree →
• The dog is a minor character in the book. tree →
• We had a minor problem with the projector. tree →
• Most bumps in the playground are minor. tree →
• Minor punctuation errors (omitted or incorrect punctuation, mismatched quote marks etc.) have been amended without note. tree →

Note

Opposite: «major». Noun «minority» means the smaller part of a group. Do not confuse with «miner» (a person who works in a mine), which sounds the same.