grown substantial

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "grown substantial" is not correct in standard written English.
It may be intended to convey that something has increased in size or importance, but the correct form would typically be "grown substantially" or "grown to be substantial." Example: "Over the years, the company's profits have grown substantially, allowing for further investments in innovation."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The amounts the central bank has spent directly are much smaller than some economists and political leaders would like, but over time have grown substantial.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Although we would never be able to grow all our own flowers, we do grow substantial quantities of rosemary, lavender, oregano, mint, lemon balm, bay, thyme and catmint.

The Guardian

And what of Protestant ministers who, during the Reformation, rejected clerical celibacy and "were soon in the habit of growing substantial beards to back up their theology"?

The Guardian - Books

More to the point, I know plenty of organic farmers who grow substantial carrot crops – and cereal crops for that matter – without any of the herbicides, insecticides and plant growth hormones so beloved of NFU members.

The Guardian - Opinion

Lawrence Durrell, Olivia Manning, Anthony Powell, Mervyn Peake, Paul Scott, and in our own time, Pat Barker, all grew substantial readerships through trilogies or quartets.

BBC

Few of the market centres have grown into substantial towns.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The country has grown a substantial black middle class and extended subsistence-level welfare for the poorest.

The New York Times - Magazine

Nevertheless, thinking about how small disturbances might grow explosively to produce substantial effects on a physical system's behavior became a phenomenon of ever intensifying investigation beginning with a famous paper by Edward Lorenz (1963).

SEP

Most species grow to substantial size.

Encyclopedia Britannica

But they'd grow more substantial soon enough.

The New Yorker

Often the central cities of ancient states grew to substantial size before they achieved governments capable of imposing controls.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity and grammatical correctness, opt for "grown substantially" or "become substantial" instead of "grown substantial".

Common error

Avoid placing an adjective directly after the verb "grow" when an adverb is required to modify the verb's action. Using "grown substantially" instead of "grown substantial" corrects this error and provides grammatical clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "grown substantial" functions as a verb phrase intended to describe the result of a growth process, indicating something has reached a considerable size or degree. However, according to Ludwig, the phrase is not correct in standard written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

48%

Encyclopedias

16%

Science

16%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "grown substantial" attempts to convey that something has increased significantly, but it's grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI flags it as non-standard, advising the use of ""grown substantially"" or ""become substantial"" instead. Although the phrase appears in various sources, including news and encyclopedias, its disputed correctness makes it a less reliable choice for formal writing. For clearer and more accurate communication, stick to the grammatically sound alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

grown substantially

Adverb 'substantially' correctly modifies the verb 'grown', indicating a significant increase.

become substantial

Replaces 'grown' with 'become', making 'substantial' an adjective describing the subject.

increased significantly

Uses 'increased' as a synonym for 'grown' and 'significantly' for 'substantial'.

expanded considerably

Employs 'expanded' and 'considerably' to convey growth and a noteworthy degree.

grown to a considerable extent

Adds the prepositional phrase "to a considerable extent" to specify degree of growth.

developed significantly

Uses 'developed' to imply a gradual process of growth and 'significantly' to emphasize the magnitude.

matured considerably

Implies a qualitative improvement or increase in complexity alongside growth.

amplified greatly

Focuses on the increase in power or effect, rather than just size.

accumulated considerably

Suggests growth through the addition of smaller increments.

swelled significantly

Implies a rapid or sudden increase in size or volume.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say something has increased significantly in size or importance?

Instead of saying something has "grown substantial", it is more grammatically correct to say it has "grown substantially" or "become substantial".

Is "grown substantial" grammatically correct?

No, "grown substantial" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. The correct phrasing would typically be ""grown substantially"", using an adverb to modify the verb.

Are there alternatives to "grown substantial" that I can use?

Yes, you can use phrases like "increased significantly", "expanded considerably", or "developed significantly" to express a similar meaning with better grammatical accuracy.

What's the difference between "grown substantial" and "grown substantially"?

"Grown substantial" is grammatically incorrect as it uses an adjective where an adverb is needed. "Grown substantially" is the correct form, with the adverb 'substantially' properly modifying the verb 'grown'.