a failure to increase

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a failure to increase" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where you are discussing a lack of growth or improvement in a particular area, such as performance, sales, or productivity. Example: "The report highlighted a failure to increase sales despite the new marketing strategy implemented last quarter."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

32 human-written examples

For runners without eating disorders, under-eating may simply be a failure to increase calories with higher training loads.

The New York Times

A failure to increase the number of black reporters, he said, will mean coverage less likely to appeal to black readers.

The New York Times

A failure to increase the supply of new homes to address this affordability challenge risks pricing people out of the city.

The Guardian

A failure to increase performance would inevitably stall a growing array of industries that have fed off the falling cost of computer chips.

The New York Times

Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi, a Republican, said that a default stemming from a failure to increase the borrowing limit would be "terrible" for states.

The New York Times

The Business Roundtable sent a letter to lawmakers warning that a failure to increase the debt limit would cause widespread fallout in the global financial markets and raise the costs of financing mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and student loans.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

28 human-written examples

We thus conclude that "futile" stimulation of mtDNA replication per se or a secondary failure to increase the mitochondrial mass may contribute to the regionalized pathology seen in MERRF-syndrome.

Plosone

This appears, from our historical control cases, to be as a result of failure to increase the ADAMTS13 activity by reducing antibody levels.

British Journal of Haematology

Italy, France and Germany have what the report by Bono's advocacy group, DATA, called "a particular crisis of credibility". Bono said in a telephone interview yesterday that their failure to increase aid has been masked behind artificially high debt-relief write-offs.

The New York Times

Is the failure to increase funding a stealth attach by the new Congress on Wall Street reform, as some critics allege?

Forbes

It is difficult to attribute increases or a failure to significantly increase in GAENE to the mini-units because GAENE instruments were usually distributed at the beginning and end of the school year.

Evolution: Education and Outreach

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a failure to increase", clearly specify what is not increasing. For example, instead of saying "There was a failure to increase", specify "There was a failure to increase sales".

Common error

Avoid burying "a failure to increase" within overly complex sentences. Clear, direct language enhances readability and impact. For example, prefer "The company experienced a failure to increase revenue" over "It was observed that, with regard to the company's financial performance, there was a notable failure to increase the level of revenue generated during the specified fiscal period".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a failure to increase" functions primarily as a noun phrase. It describes a situation or instance where there is an absence of growth or augmentation. Ludwig AI confirms its proper grammatical use across various contexts.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

35%

News & Media

32%

Formal & Business

33%

Less common in

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a failure to increase" is a grammatically correct noun phrase commonly used to describe situations where growth or augmentation has not occurred. As verified by Ludwig AI, it appears most frequently in scientific, news, and formal business contexts, indicating a neutral to formal register. When using this phrase, clarity is crucial; specifying what exactly failed to increase enhances understanding. Alternatives such as "a lack of growth" or "an inability to augment" can provide variety, but "a failure to increase" remains a direct and widely understood expression for unmet expectations of growth.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a lack of growth

This phrase replaces "failure" with "lack" and "increase" with "growth", focusing on the absence of development.

a deficiency in raising

This alternative uses "deficiency" to indicate a lack and "raising" instead of "increase", highlighting the inability to elevate something.

an inability to augment

Replacing "failure" with "inability" and "increase" with "augment" emphasizes the lack of capacity to enhance or enlarge.

a stagnation in expanding

This phrase employs "stagnation" to convey a lack of progress in expansion, indicating a standstill rather than growth.

a standstill in escalating

Using "standstill" highlights a halt in the process of escalation, conveying a sense of being stuck at the same level.

no advancement in elevating

This alternative emphasizes the absence of progress in the act of elevating something to a higher level.

a regression in boosting

This phrase indicates a decline in efforts to boost or improve something, suggesting a step backward rather than forward.

an absence of upward adjustment

This is a more formal way of saying there was no increase. It highlights the lack of any modification to move something higher.

a plateau in development

This suggests that the development has stopped and there is no more increase.

a decline instead of a rise

This phrase directly contrasts the expected increase with an actual decrease.

FAQs

How can I use "a failure to increase" in a sentence?

You can use "a failure to increase" to describe situations where something did not grow or improve as expected. For example, "A failure to increase the budget resulted in project delays."

What are some alternatives to "a failure to increase"?

Some alternatives include "a lack of growth", "an inability to augment", or "no advancement in elevating depending on the context.

What's the difference between "a failure to increase" and "a lack of increase"?

"A failure to increase" implies an expectation or attempt to grow that was not met, while "a lack of increase" simply states that there was no growth, without necessarily implying an attempt or expectation.

Is it correct to say "a failure of increasing" instead of "a failure to increase"?

While "a failure of increasing" might be understood, "a failure to increase" is the more grammatically standard and commonly used construction when referring to a missed opportunity for growth or expansion.