gets more tough

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "gets more tough" is not correct in standard written English.
A more appropriate expression would be "becomes tougher." Example: "As the competition progresses, it gets more tough for the participants to keep up."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

And since high school's over, it just gets more tough.

Los Angeles Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

And I got more tough and we met in the middle.

The Guardian - Film

It's only going to get more tough.

BBC

Lawmakers in the 80s and 90s competed to see who could get more "tough on crime".

Huffington Post

According to Loverd's assessment of a typical consult, mine may have gotten more tough love than is typical.

Vice

Without it, we'll get more tough-sounding-but-ultimately-toothless "reform" that allows the cancer of greed and corruption plaguing our financial and political systems to continue to spread.

Huffington Post

"You've got to make more tough plays on your own".

The New York Times - Sports

Unlike most steaks, which come from the little-used loin muscle, tri-tip is from a muscle that gets more work and is naturally tougher.

Los Angeles Times

"The buyers are getting more and more tough in bargaining for lower prices, especially American buyers," says Liao Yuan, the head of international trade at the Changrun Garment Company, which is based in southern China and exports jeans to Europe and the United States.

The New York Times

"I am getting more mature and more tough mentally.

BBC

This process gets even more tough while attempting to build a startup in South Asia, especially in a country such as Bangladesh, which is perennially facing political chaos and economic instability.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity and grammatical correctness, replace "gets more tough" with alternatives like "becomes more difficult" or "grows increasingly challenging".

Common error

Be mindful of redundant phrasing. The word "tough" already implies a degree of difficulty, so adding "more" can sometimes sound awkward. Opt for stronger, more precise adjectives to convey the intended meaning.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "gets more tough" functions as a descriptor, indicating an increase in difficulty or hardship. Although not grammatically correct, its intention is to convey that something is becoming more challenging. As Ludwig AI points out, it is advisable to use more standard expressions.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "gets more tough" is an ungrammatical way to express increasing difficulty. While it appears in some contexts, primarily in News & Media, standard English prefers alternatives like "becomes tougher" or "gets tougher". As Ludwig AI states, using "gets more tough" is incorrect and less common. For clearer and more professional communication, opt for the suggested alternatives such as "becomes more difficult" or "grows increasingly difficult". Therefore, avoid using "gets more tough" in formal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

becomes more difficult

Replaces "gets tough" with a more formal synonym and uses "difficult" instead of "tough".

becomes more challenging

Similar to "becomes more difficult" but uses "challenging" for a slightly different nuance.

grows increasingly difficult

Emphasizes a gradual increase in difficulty.

becomes increasingly hard

Uses "hard" instead of "tough" and "increasingly" to denote a gradual change.

is getting harder

Simple alternative, focusing on increasing difficulty.

is becoming more strenuous

Uses "strenuous" to imply a higher level of effort required.

is becoming more rigorous

Uses "rigorous" to imply a higher level of strictness or precision.

is getting more intense

Uses "intense" to highlight increased pressure or severity.

is becoming more complicated

Emphasizes increased complexity rather than just difficulty.

is getting more demanding

Focuses on the increased demands or requirements placed on someone or something.

FAQs

Is "gets more tough" grammatically correct?

No, "gets more tough" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. A more appropriate phrasing would be "becomes tougher" or "gets tougher".

What are some alternatives to "gets more tough"?

You can use alternatives such as "becomes more difficult", "becomes more challenging", or "grows increasingly difficult" depending on the context.

How can I improve my sentence if I've used "gets more tough"?

Replace "gets more tough" with a more grammatically sound phrase. For example, instead of "Life gets more tough", try "Life becomes more difficult" or "Life gets tougher".

What is the difference between "gets more tough" and "gets tougher"?

"Gets tougher" is the more common and grammatically accepted way to express that something is becoming more difficult. "Gets more tough" is often perceived as redundant or non-standard.