To Increase vs Increasing Infinitives & Gerunds

When and How to Use Each Expression?

Get a sense of when and how each expression can be used through the following examples!

To increase (Infinitive)

Purpose or Intention: Use the infinitive "to increase" when you want to express a purpose, intention, desire, or potential action

Example

I want to increase my productivity at work.

Increasing (Gerund)

Activity or Experience: Use the gerund "increasing" when you want to refer to the activity itself or the experience as a noun.

Example

Increasing your knowledge is important for personal growth.

Where can infinitives/gerunds be placed in a sentence?

To increase (Infinitive)

• 1. Subject

  To increase revenue is our main goal.

  To increase revenue is our main goal.

  • "*To increase* revenue" serves as the subject of the sentence.
  • Infinitive phrase (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (our main goal).
• 2. Object

  She encourages her team to increase their efforts.

  She encourages her team to increase their efforts.

  • "Her team *to increase* their efforts" is the object of the verb "encourages."
  • Noun (She) + verb (encourages) + noun phrase (her team *to increase* their efforts).
• 3. Adjective Modifier

  We need a strategy to increase customer satisfaction.

  We need a strategy to increase customer satisfaction.

  • "*To increase* customer satisfaction" modifies the noun "strategy."
  • Noun (We) + verb (need) + noun phrase (a strategy *to increase* customer satisfaction).

Increasing (Gerund)

• 1. Subject

  Increasing your vocabulary is beneficial for communication skills.

  Increasing your vocabulary is beneficial for communication skills.

  • "*Increasing* your vocabulary" is the subject of the sentence.
  • Gerund (subject) + verb (is) + noun phrase (beneficial for communication skills).
• 2. Object

  I enjoy increasing my physical strength through weightlifting.

  I enjoy increasing my physical strength through weightlifting.

  • "*Increasing* my physical strength through weightlifting" is the object of the verb "enjoy."
  • Noun (I) + verb (enjoy) + gerund (*increasing* my physical strength through weightlifting).
• 3. Object of Preposition

  She has a passion for increasing her knowledge.

  She has a passion for increasing her knowledge.

  • "For *increasing* her knowledge" is the object of the preposition "for."
  • Noun phrase (She) + verb (has) + noun phrase (a passion for *increasing* her knowledge).

Verbs Taking Infinitives/Gerunds as Objects

The following are verbs that can take only the base form of the verb (infinitive), only the -ing form (gerund), or both.

Verbs Taking Infinitives as Objects

• plan
• hope
• want
• decide
• agree

Example

They plan to increase their market share next year.

He hopes to increase his savings for a down payment.

We want to increase our website traffic.

She decided to increase her workout intensity.

They agreed to increase their advertising budget.

Verbs Taking Gerunds as Objects

• enjoy
• recommend
• dislike
• avoid
• imagine

Example

He enjoys increasing his skills through practice.

They recommend increasing physical activity for better health.

I dislike the idea of increasing working hours.

She avoids increasing unnecessary expenses.

Can you imagine increasing your income by 50%?

Verbs Taking Both Infinitives and Gerunds as Objects

• like
• start
• begin

Example

I would like to increase my knowledge in this field. I would like increasing my knowledge in this field.

They started to increase their online presence. They started increasing their online presence.

He began to increase his savings for retirement. He began increasing his savings for retirement.