Describing Graphs
Here are the words and phrases you need to talk about trends using graphs. Make sure you can translate these into your own language.
UP - verbs
go up
UP - nouns
an increase an upturn
DOWN - verbs go/come down decline
DOWN - nouns
a fall
a downturn
rake off rise
a rise a surge
fall
decrease
a decrease
a downward trend
shoot up grow
a growth an upsurge
fall off slip
a dechne
soar
improve
an improvement an upward m ,id
drop plummet
jump re t ket
skimp shrink
stay at the same level stabilise
top Olli
NO CHANGE - verbs
remain stable level off
remain constant stagnate
AT THE TOP - verbs teach a peak peak
AT THE BOTTOM - verbs leach a low point bottom out
DEGREES OF CHANGE
Adjectives: dramatic, considerable, sharp, significant, substantial, moderate, slight
Adverbs: dramatically, considerably, sharply, significantly, substantially,
moderately, slightly
SPEED OF CHANGE abrupt sudden
PREPOSITIONS
a rise from £im to £2m to fall by 30%
rapid quick
steady
gradual slow
to increase by 50%
an increase of 7.5 per cent over last year
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Study the following graphs. Complete the descriptions with information from them andI language from the previous page. Several answers are possible. Cheek your answers with those ,n the answer key or discuss them with your teacher.
GRAPH I   Profits 1967-1982
The company came out of the red in 1968 after which there was a (1)........... ■ ■ ■......■ ■ ™
r   i              o ,fi,r rl.-w-1„.d m in 1972, hut in 197 J, the year ot the
nrotus every year for four years. Pioftrs reached \L\...........•
oil crisis, there was a (3) ...................
smaller, but after thai profits continued ro (5).....
made » ^ hilhon loss in 1978, after which the litres (6)......................^ tho* years,
before (7)...........again m 1982.
■fl-,i_. (4) ...........trend in 1974 was
. for four years. The company
GRAPH 2   Sales Years 1-12
,      2     3     1      5     6     7      a      9     10    11 12
The year after we took over the company sales were 8ood, at $12,»,   bur the second year -hey
(j j In iaci, they dropped (2)...........25')». hales (3)........
for another two years, (4)...........for one year, and then (5)...........afiam .wic-c Sine,
then,   there has been a (6)...........growth for five years. In fact in jus, tour years, sales rose
(7)...........$4m (8)...........$Hm, an increase (9)...........230%.
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6.3 Describing Graphs
Graph 1: Answers marked with an asterisk (*) are only one of several possibilities: 1* significant improvement; 2 a peak; 3* substantial decline; 4 downward; 5* fall sharply; 6* improved dramatically; 7* falling off.
Graph 2: Answers marked with an asterisk (*) are only one of several possibilities: 1* fell dramatically; 2 by; 3* slipped; 4* levelled off; 5* went down; 6* rapid; 7 from; 8 to; 9 of.