the gap increased vs the gap was increased

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'The gap increased' is the more common and natural way to express that the gap got bigger on its own, without specifying who or what caused it. 'The gap was increased' is less common and is used when you want to emphasize that someone or something deliberately made the gap bigger.

Last updated: March 20, 2024 • 757 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"the gap increased"

This phrase is used to indicate that the gap got bigger on its own, without specifying who or what caused it.

Examples:

Over time, the gap increased between the rich and the poor.
The gap increased significantly after the new policy was implemented.

Show examples from the web [+]

6 days ago ... Among women, the gap increased from 4.7 to 13 years. Possible causes for this worrying trend include a significant decrease in smoking ...
3 days ago ... Canada's current account deficit widened modestly in the fourth quarter from a revised third quarter, while the gap increased substantially in ...
Oct 19, 2015 ... However, the gap increased 0.4 percentage points between blacks and whites and 0.5 percentage points between all students and those with ...
the rate in remote and very remote areas was double the rate in major cities.86 The gap increased from 5.7 to 12.1 times the rate of admission from 2004–05 to ...

Alternatives:

the gap widened
the gap grew
the gap expanded
the gap got bigger
the gap became larger

This phrase is correct but less common in English.

"the gap was increased"

This phrase is used when you want to emphasize that someone or something deliberately made the gap bigger.

Examples:

The gap was increased by the company's decision to raise prices.
Inequality was exacerbated when the wealth gap was increased.

Show examples from the web [+]

Jan 22, 2010 ... ... at a spacing which depended on the sphere diameter and then decreased to about half the maximum as the gap was increased still further.
Jun 19, 2012 ... ... becomes unstable when the pressure increases, and the stability limit of plasma saturated at 0.51 Torr, even if the gap was increased. 0.45.
The most effective level of the proximal burst increased as the gap was increased . For the conditions in which the proximal burst was after the pedestal, two ...
... procedures resembled those of Experiment 1, but the size of the targets and distractors was increased to 1.0° and the size of the gap was increased to 0.2°.

Alternatives:

the gap was widened
the gap was made larger
the gap was expanded
the gap was enlarged
the gap was deliberately increased

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the gap increased vs the gap was increased