Latex for matrices code example

Example: latex pmatrix

Trying to typeset an inline matrix here
$\begin{pmatrix}
  a & b\\ 
  c & d
\end{pmatrix}$ 
but it looks too big, so let's try 
$\big(\begin{smallmatrix}
  a & b\\
  c & d
\end{smallmatrix}\big)$ 
instead.