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Grammar fix

ramp up

increase sharply (especially production, effort, or activity)

to increase something quickly and by a large amount, especially production, effort, or activity, often in response to demand or a new situation.

phrasal verbC1occasional

Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • The company had to ramp up production to meet the sudden surge in demand.work
  • In my opinion, governments should ramp up investment in renewable energy if they want to tackle climate change effectively.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: ramp up [object]

WrongThey ramped up of their efforts.

RightThey ramped up their efforts.

'Ramp up' takes the object directly — no 'of'.

Patternramp up [object]

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff The manufacturer intends to substantially augment production.

Natural They're ramping up production.

'Ramp up' is the natural business verb for scaling up fast; 'substantially augment' is formal.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • ramp up + activity
    productioneffortssecuritythe pressure

Don't confuse it

'Ramp up' is stronger and more dynamic than the basic verb 'increase'. It is not used for slow or slight changes, and is often used when a company or group responds to a new challenge or opportunity.

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