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Preposition after verb

Augment by, with, in, for or on?

Augment means increase or improve something. The most common patterns are augment something by an amount and augment something with an addition.

Quick answer

Use augment by for amount and augment with for addition

Use augment by to show the degree of increase and augment with to show what is added. Augment in, augment for, and augment on are not standard direct combinations after the verb.

The company augmented its staff by 20 percent
They augmented the system with new software
The recipe was augmented with fresh herbs

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
augment + object by + amount

Showing the size of an increase

By introduces the amount or degree of change.

The budget was augmented by five million dollars
2
augment + object with + addition

Adding something to improve or expand

With introduces what is added.

She augmented her income with freelance work
3
augment in + area

Limited use with context nouns

In may introduce an area or field, but it is not the normal complement directly selected by augment.

Investment increased in rural regions after the programme augmented local services
4
augment on/upon + idea

Building on an idea

English normally uses build on rather than augment on.

Researchers augmented the original model with additional data

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
augment by
Production was augmented by new equipment.
By shows the amount or cause of increase.
augment with
They augmented the course with online lessons.
With shows what was added.
augment in
Not standard: The team augmented in resources.
In is not normally used directly after augment.
augment for
Not standard: We augmented for efficiency.
For is not an idiomatic complement after augment.
augment on
Not standard: The report augments on earlier findings.
Use build on or expand on instead.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using the wrong preposition for additions

Use with for the thing added.

✕ They augmented the database by new entries. ✓ They augmented the database with new entries.

Using on after augment

English normally uses build on or expand on.

✕ The article augments on previous research. ✓ The article expands on previous research.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The company augmented its workforce ___ 15 percent.
2. They augmented the platform ___ extra security features.
3. Which sentence is standard English?

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between augment by and augment with?

By gives the amount of increase. With names the thing added.

Can augment be used without a preposition?

Yes. You can say The changes augmented profits.

Is augment on correct?

Not usually. English more naturally uses expand on or build on.

abandon, by, abandon, in "abduct by", "abduct in" or "abduct from"? abide by, in, with, to or on? "abolish in" or "abolish by"? "abound in" or "abound with"? "absorb by", "absorb into" or "absorb in"? "accelerate by", "accelerate to" or "accelerate in"? accentuate by, with, in or under? accept by, in, as, for or into? "accommodate in", "accommodate for" or "accommodate to"? "accomplish by" or "accomplish in"? "accord to" or "accord with"?

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