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Describing Trends, Graphs, And Changes
In business and everyday English, you sometimes have to describe changes in trends (movement or tendency), graphs, and diagrams.
In the business context, you may have to describe trends in reports, meetings, and presentations. In everyday life, you could describe changes in any subject because things change all the time!
Describing changes and trends generally consists of three parts:
- Use a verb (or an adjective and a noun) to describe movement
- Describe the speed or size of the movement
- Explain the reason or consequence of the change
You can also view it this way: Verb + Speed or Size + Result/Reason/Consequence
Example
In 2011, Samsung's profits increased considerably thanks to its successful Galaxy S series.
Example
In 2011, Samsung's profits increased considerably thanks to its successful Galaxy S series.
Here are some verbs you can use to describe change and movement.
Upward Movement
To climb
To rise
To go up
To improve
To pick up
To recover
To increase
To reach a peak
Downward Movement
To fall
To decline
To bottom out
To decrease
To drop
To plummet
To deteriorate
To hit a low
To slip back
To do down
Horizontal Movement
To even out
To remain stable
To stabilize
Here are some adjectives and adverbs you can use to describe the speed and size of change.
Speed of Change
Rapid - Rapidly
Slow - Slowly
Sudden - Suddenly
Sharp - Sharply
Steady - Steadily
Gradual - Gradually
Fast - Quickly
Size of Change
Noticeable - Noticeably
Substantial - Substantially
Considerable - Considerably
Slight - Slightly
Significant - Significantly
Dramatic - Dramatically
Negligible - Negligibly
Here are some expressions you can use to express reason, consequence, and result:
- As a result of
- Due to
- Because of
- Was the reason for
- Caused
- Resulted in
- Explains
- Accounts for
- That is why
- Consequently
- So
- Thanks to
Time Expressions You Can Use
- In January / In 2011
- In Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4 (In the first quarter / second quarter / third quarter / fourth quarter)
- From January to March
Examples
- Apple's sales increased significantly due to the launch of the iPhone 4.
[verb + adverb construction]
There was a significant increase in Apple's sales due to the launch of the iPhone 4.
[adjective + noun (word) construction]
- Our turnover remained stable in January and February. However, in March and April, it dropped suddenly as a result of the financial crisis.
[verb + adverb construction]
In March and April, there was a sudden drop in our turnover as a result of the financial crisis.
[adjective + noun (word) construction]
You will need to describe trends, compare and contrast data or report statistical information. Occasionally you will need to describe a process (which we will explain in another section).
In order to do well in this section, you need to know specific vocabulary related to describing trends.
Verbs to describe an upward trend
The following verbs can be used to describe a trend or pattern that goes up.
- climb (past: climbed)
- go up (past: went up)
- grow (past: grew)
- increase (past: increased)
- jump (past: jumped)
- rise (past: rose)
- rocket (past: rocketed)
Sentence examples using words that show an upward trend:
- The number of enrolments increased significantly between 2005 and 2010.
- Production rose from 800 units in May to 1000 units the following month.
Verbs to describe a downward trend
The following verbs can be used to describe a trend or pattern that goes down.
- decline (past: declined)
- decrease (past: decreased)
- drop (past: dropped)
- fall (past: fell)
- go down (past: went down)
- plummet (past: plummeted) = to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value
- plunge (past: plunged) = to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value
Plunge and Plummet, when describing trends, have the same meaning.
Sentence examples using words that show a downward trend:
- Prices of Model X dropped significantly once Model Y became available on the market.
- Company profits decreased in 2013 by 15%.
Words and phrases used to describe a stable trend
To describe a more or less stable pattern, you can use the following expressions:
- maintain (past: maintained)
- remain (past: remained)
- stay (past: stayed)
- constant
- stable
- steady
- unchanged
Adverbs used when describing trends
Adverbs describe HOW something happens. They usually come after a verb.
- sharply, rapidly, quickly, steeply
- considerably, significantly, substantially
- steadily, gradually, moderately
- slightly, slowly
To see the degree of intensity of these adverbs, look at the chart below.
Nouns used when describing trends
- decline
- decrease
- dip (a momentarily small drop in the level of something)
- drop
- fall
- fluctuation (= an irregular rising and falling in number or amount; a variation)
- growth
- increase
- peak (= the highest point)
- rise
- slump (= a severe or prolonged fall in the price, value, or amount of something)
- variation (= a change or difference in condition, amount, or level)
