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Prepositions with nouns

Using prepositions with increase

Increase commonly appears with of and to, but they express different relationships. Use increase of for the amount or type of growth, and increase to for the new level reached.

Quick answer

Increase of vs. increase to

An increase of shows the size or nature of the rise. An increase to shows the final number, level, or amount after rising.

The company reported an increase of 10% in sales.
The population grew to 5 million after years of growth.
There was an increase to 80 seats on the train.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
increase of + amount

Showing the size of a rise

Use increase of before a number, percentage, or quantity to describe how much something grew.

We saw an increase of 15% in demand.
The budget included an increase of two million dollars.
2
increase to + level

Showing the new level reached

Use increase to before the final amount or level after growth.

Prices rose to $25 per ticket.
Membership increased to 3,000 people this year.
3
increase in + noun

Naming what became larger

Use increase in before the thing that changed or grew.

There was an increase in traffic during the holiday.
Researchers noted an increase in temperatures.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
increase of + amount
an increase of 8%
the size of the rise
increase to + level
sales increased to 8,000 units
the final level after rising
increase in + noun
an increase in costs
the thing that became larger
to increase + verb phrase
The company plans to increase production.
to increase here is an infinitive verb, not a noun phrase

Common mistakes

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

Using increase of for the final result

Use increase to when you mean the new level reached.

✕ The price saw an increase of $50. ✓ The price increased to $50.

Using increase to for the size of change

Use increase of for the amount of growth.

✕ We recorded an increase to 12%. ✓ We recorded an increase of 12%.

Confusing noun and verb structures

To increase can be a verb form rather than a preposition before the noun increase.

✕ The company announced to increase in sales. ✓ The company announced an increase in sales.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The report showed an ___ 5% in revenue.
2. Attendance increased ___ 2,000 people.
3. We noticed an increase ___ customer complaints.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I say increase of prices?

Yes. Increase of prices is possible in formal contexts, but increase in prices is more common when naming what changed.

What is the difference between increase of and increase to?

Increase of describes the amount of change, while increase to describes the final level after the change.

Is to increase the same as increase to?

No. To increase is usually an infinitive verb form, while increase to is a noun or verb followed by the final level reached.

of, about, against, to or for racism? of, about, for, in or on friendship? of, about, for, on or to thing? of, about, for, to or with sex? of, about, on, to or for moon? "of access" or "with access"? "of accommodation" or "for accommodation"? "of accuracy" or "for accuracy"? "of action" or "in action"? "of actor", "with actor" or "by actor"? "of address" or "to address"? "of administration" or "in administration"?

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