Grammar fix
gather momentum
grow stronger
to gradually become stronger, faster, or more successful
collocationC1occasional
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The campaign slowly gathered momentum after it went viral.society
- Movements like recycling took years to gather momentum, but now they feel completely normal.IELTS Part 3
Fix the pattern
Pattern: something gathers momentum
WrongThe movement gathered a momentum.
RightThe movement gathered momentum.
'Momentum' is uncountable — no 'a'.
Patternsomething gathers momentum
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Gather momentum' is the natural phrase for growing force; 'accruing impetus' is pretentious.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
gather momentumgather momentumbuild momentumgain momentumquickly
Don't confuse it
About something growing in force over time, not a single quick change.