kept increasingly

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "kept increasingly" is not correct in standard written English.
It is not a commonly used expression and may lead to confusion due to its awkward construction. Example: "The noise in the city kept increasingly disturbing my sleep."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

If this tradition is kept, increasingly pointless jobs will have to be invented to ensure that each country gets its commissioner.

The Economist

Robert Hall I cancelled my Sky Sports subscription as the cost of watching on TV has kept increasingly and BT has the Champions League.

The Guardian - Sport

If it is premature, after 18 Tests, to compare a young man such as Launchbury to Johnson, England's forwards coach, Graham Rowntree, is being kept increasingly busy deflecting suggestions that Launchbury and Courtney Lawes are already world-class tight-five operators.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Through 1966 Clarke worked long hours, acting as general scientific adviser on the film, even flying on Kubrick's behalf to LA to keep increasingly nervous MGM executives happy about the project's progress.

The Guardian - Film

Redrum.' " By week seven — according to my diary, in which I began to keep increasingly detailed notes in part as a way to avoid doing any actual cleaning — cobwebs had gathered in the corners.

The New York Times

Not to be outdone when it comes to feats of balance, GuiMing Meng keeps increasingly large ceramic jugs from a shattering fate by juggling them at precarious angles on his body while pivoting abruptly.

The New York Times

In recent years foreigners' higher fees have helped to keep increasingly hard-pressed institutions solvent.Now, as rich-world students become more adventurous, and prosperous emerging countries churn out would-be undergraduates faster than good university places, the market in international higher education is booming.

The Economist

Along with live sports, real-time interactivity might be one of the only ways to keep increasingly fragmented, time-shifted audiences glued to a screen at the same time.

TechCrunch

Even so, Gupta noted that Apple is also facing growing competition from Chinese brands, which in turn is amping up pressure on the company to innovate its handsets to keep increasingly demanding consumers happy by delivering "enhanced value" in exchange for the iPhone's premium price.

TechCrunch

Television kept her increasingly busy during the 1980s, though her film appearances included a star role opposite mad doctor Rod Steiger in The Kindred (1986).

The Guardian

And that's remarkable given how difficult it is to sustain a show that made its mark by preserving psychological realism even as it kept adding increasingly preposterous plot turns.

The New York Times - Arts

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "kept increasingly" in formal writing. Opt for clearer alternatives like "continued to grow" or "became more and more".

Common error

Avoid stringing together verbs and adverbs unnecessarily. Phrases like "kept increasingly" can often be replaced with simpler and more direct constructions to improve clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "kept increasingly" functions as a compound verbal phrase, where "kept" is the past tense of "keep" and "increasingly" is an adverb modifying it. However, its usage is grammatically awkward and not standard in English, as Ludwig AI suggests.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "kept increasingly" is grammatically questionable and not considered standard English. While it appears in some sources like The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Economist, Ludwig AI identifies it as incorrect in standard written English, and recommends using clearer alternatives. Its communicative purpose is to describe a state or action that is maintained and intensified over time. However, due to its awkward construction, it’s best to opt for more conventional and easily understood alternatives like "growing steadily" or "becoming more prevalent" to improve clarity and ensure effective communication. It appears in sources such as "News & Media", "Science" and "Wiki", its usage remains uncommon.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Growing steadily

Focuses on continuous and consistent growth.

Increasing gradually

Highlights a slow, progressive increase.

Continually maintained

Emphasizes ongoing maintenance.

Steadily maintained

Highlights consistent maintenance.

Persistently kept

Emphasizes the act of keeping something with determination.

Consistently maintained

Stresses the regularity and uniformity of the maintenance.

Becoming more prevalent

Focuses on an increase in commonness or frequency.

Evolving constantly

Highlights ongoing development and change.

Progressing steadily

Focuses on forward movement at a consistent pace.

Developing continuously

Emphasizes the uninterrupted nature of the development.

FAQs

Is "kept increasingly" grammatically correct?

The phrase "kept increasingly" is not considered standard English. While it appears in some publications, it's generally better to use clearer alternatives.

What are some alternatives to "kept increasingly"?

Depending on the context, you can use phrases like "growing steadily", "increasing gradually", or "continually maintained".

How can I rephrase a sentence that uses "kept increasingly"?

Analyze the intended meaning and replace "kept increasingly" with a phrase that accurately reflects the nuance, such as "steadily maintained" or "becoming more prevalent".

Is it ever appropriate to use "kept increasingly" in writing?

While not strictly incorrect, using "kept increasingly" can make your writing sound awkward or unnatural. It's best to choose a more common and easily understood phrase.