cause of failing

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "cause of failing" is not correct in standard written English.
It may be intended to refer to the reason for failure, but it lacks clarity and proper grammatical structure. Example: "The cause of failing to meet the deadline was poor time management."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

Yet Brill wants us to believe that unions are the primary — even sole — cause of failing public schools.

The New York Times - Books

Re "Owning Up to Failure" (editorial, July 1): It does not take genius to identify the cause of failing students in inner-city areas.

The New York Times

If we suffer from a grit deficiency in this country, it shows up in our unwillingness to face what is obviously true that poverty is the real cause of failing schools.

The New Yorker

And because no one else does it, protocols are not standardised, different researchers use different solutions, and the cause of failing experiments cannot be deduced systematically.

Science Magazine

Missing class often is a major cause of failing grades.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Although no single factor was responsible for these blackouts and weak grid structures as well as lack of coordination of system management and operation were key causes of failing to prevent cascading outages, this paper focuses on aspects which are closely related to stability technology for prevention and control of cascading outages.

Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean Energy

While chronic absenteeism may be a root cause of failings at work, generally speaking, a parent who takes care of his or her family is not an inherent problem.

Huffington Post

His certainty about the cause of his failing health gnawed at me.

The New Yorker

My comment regards your non-kinetic solution to the problem and indicates the probable cause of its failing.

Yale University

I believe a major cause of these failing efforts is that they are all too often focused on extrinsic rather than intrinsic motivators.

HuffPost

But people will never know the cause of their failing memory, or how to treat it, if they don't seek help.

HuffPost

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Prefer using the phrase "cause of failure" instead of "cause of failing". The former employs the noun "failure", which is grammatically correct and widely accepted.

Common error

Avoid using the gerund "failing" after "cause of". It's more appropriate to use the noun form "failure" to maintain grammatical correctness. For example, say "the cause of the project failure" instead of "the cause of the project failing".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "cause of failing" functions as a noun phrase that attempts to identify the origin or reason behind something's inability to succeed. According to Ludwig AI, this phrase is not correct in standard written English. The phrase aims to specify the reason for a failure.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

40%

Wiki

30%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "cause of failing" attempts to express the reasons behind a failure, it is grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI confirms this, suggesting that "cause of failure" or "reason for failure" are more appropriate alternatives. Although the phrase appears in various contexts like news, science and wikis, it's crucial to use correct grammar, especially in formal writing. Remember to opt for the noun "failure" instead of the gerund "failing" to maintain grammatical integrity. The infrequent usage and grammatical issues impact the expert rating, highlighting the importance of choosing precise and accepted phrasing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

reason for failure

Replaces the gerund "failing" with the noun "failure" for better grammatical structure.

cause of failure

Similar to the original but uses the noun "failure" instead of the gerund "failing".

reason why it failed

Expands the phrase to a clause, clarifying the subject and verb.

factors contributing to failure

Highlights multiple reasons and uses a more formal vocabulary.

underlying reasons for the failure

Emphasizes the fundamental or less obvious causes.

what led to its failure

Focuses on the events or circumstances that resulted in the failure.

etiology of the failure

Uses a more scientific or technical term for "cause", indicating a formal context.

determinants of failure

Similar to "factors", but suggests a more decisive role in causing the failure.

genesis of the failure

Focuses on the origin or beginning of the failure.

roots of the failure

Implies that the failure stems from deep, fundamental issues.

FAQs

What's a grammatically sound alternative to "cause of failing"?

A grammatically sound alternative is "cause of failure". It uses the noun form "failure" instead of the gerund "failing", which is more appropriate in this context.

When should I use "reason for failure" instead of "cause of failing"?

You should use "reason for failure" in formal writing or when you want to emphasize the explanation behind the failure, rather than just the factor that initiated it. The phrase "cause of failing" is grammatically incorrect.

Is "cause of failing" ever considered correct in English?

No, "cause of failing" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard written English. It's better to use "cause of failure" or other similar phrases.

What is the difference between "cause of failure" and "factors contributing to failure"?

"Cause of failure" typically refers to the primary reason something failed, while "factors contributing to failure" suggests multiple reasons or influences that led to the failure. The former is singular, while the latter is plural and encompasses a broader range of reasons.