LANGUAGE FOR DESCRIBING TRENDS
I. Verbs and nouns for describing changes:
1. Upward trend Verb Noun of trend
Rise A rise
Increase An increase
Grow A growth + IN
Progress A progress
Go up
Uplift An increasing trend
Climb An upward trend
*Soar
Example: The number of people who travelled to work by car rose/increased/… from 500 to 700 over the
period between 1990 and 2000.
2. Downward trend Verb Noun of trend
Fall A fall
Drop A drop
Decrease A decrease
Decline A decline + IN
Reduce A reduction
Go down
*Plummet (sudden fall) A decreasing trend
A downward tendency
Example: There was a decrease in the number of people driving to work from 500 to 200 between 1990
and 2000.
3. Verb Noun of trend
Fluctuate A fluctuation
data
+ AROUND/BETWEEN + data A wave
Wave
Rapid changes
Example: There was a fluctuation around 1200 in the number of visitors to the website.
4. Verb Noun of trend
Level off A plateau
Stabilize
Remain the same
Remain unchanged
Remain steady + AT + data
Remain constant
Remain stable
Remain static
Plateau
Example: The amount of money spent on shoes stabilized at $350 over the last 2 years.
5. Verb Noun of trend
Peak + AT + data Reach a peak + OF
+ data
Get / touch the
highest point + AT
+ data
Example: The annual income of Bunny Bakery peaked at $3 million in 1997.
6. Verb
Touch / hit / reach / get the lowest point
+ AT + data
Rock the bottommost mark + AT + data
Fall to the deepest low + OF + data
Example: The number of trees in Someland reached the lowest point at around 2 million in 2000.
II. Degree of changes:
Type of change Adjective + Noun Verb + Adverb
Big change Sharp, dramatic, significant, Sharply, dramatically,
remarkable, considerable, significantly, remarkably,
marked, substantial, enormous, considerably, markedly,
… substantially, enormously, …
Moderate change Moderate, gradual, progressive, Moderately, gradually,
… progressively, …
Small change Slight, modest, … Slightly, modestly, …
Steady change Consistent, constant, steady, … Consistently, constantly, steadily,
…
Minimal change (very small Minimal, marginal, … Minimally, marginally, …
change)
Example: There was a sharp rise…/The number fell moderately…
III. Sentence structures:
1. Common sentence structures in Task 1:
Example sentence: The number of people who travelled to work by car rose from 500 to 700 over the
period between 1990 and 2000.
- There + be + N of trend + preposition + data + (…)
There was an increase from 500 to 700 in the number of people who travelled to work by car over
the period between 1990 and 2000.
- Time/Subject + witness/see/undergo/experience/observe/… + N of trend + preposition + data +
(…)
The years between 1990 and 2000 witnessed a rise from 500 to 700 in the number of people who
travelled to work by car.
The number of people who travelled to work by car underwent a growth from 500 to 700 over the
period between 1990 and 2000.
- Subject + be + on a/an N of trend + preposition + data + (…)
The number of people who travelled to work by car was on an upward trend from 500 to 700 over
the period between 1990 and
2000.
2. Preposition use:
Look at the line chart above, in 2005, 50% of French households recycled things. In 2013, 30% of French
households recycled things. So, the percentage of household recycling in France...
… witnessed a decrease to 30% in 2013. (from 50%)
… witnessed a decrease of 20% in 2013. (50% - 30% = 20%)
… fell to 30% in 2013. (from 50%)
… fell by 20% in 2013 to 30%. (50% - 30% = 20%)
The percentage of household recycling in the UK witnessed an increase
of (about) 25% in 2013.
The percentage of household recycling in the UK progressed by 20% from 2009
to 2015.
- The percentage of household recycling in the UK witnessed an increase (from
40%) to 56% in 2011. The percentage of household recycling in the UK increased
by 16% in 2011 to 56%. = witnessed an increase of 16%.
2009/40% - 2011/56%
- The percentage of household recycling in the UK witnessed an increased of 40%
5% in 2009. The percentage of household recycling in the UK witnessed an
increased to 40% in 2009.
2005/35% - 2009/40% => 5%
- 2015 - 35% 2011 - 55%
The percentage of household recycling in the UK underwent a gradual rise
(gradually) to 55% in 2011 = The percentage of household recycling in the UK
saw a moderate grow of 20% in 2011.
3. Words for data:
Look at the year 2015, the percentage of household recycling in the UK stood at
around/approximately/roughly 60%. In 2015, the percentage of household recycling in France stood at
just under 40%. In 2005, the percentage of household recycling in France stood at exactly 50%.
4. Tenses:
If the years are in the past, use Past Simple. If the year is this year, or they don’t give a year/month, use
Present Simple. If the years are in the future, use predictions.
Prediction structures: S + is/are + predicted/anticipated/estimated/… + to + V + …
Ex: In 2030, the number of trees in this area is predicted to observe a decrease/ to decrease/… to
1000 trees.
Ex1: Charts without a year => Use Present simple:
10% of Canadian girls like participating in sports activities.
Ex2: Charts with years in the future:
In 2025, the number of cars produced in China is predicted/estimated/anticipated to undergo a slight
increase from 100,000 cars to around/approximately 120,000 cars.
5. Comparison and contrast:
a. Comparative structures:
- Subject + verb + number of times + as + much/many/… + (noun) + as + noun/pronoun + verb
Multiple number comparatives include half, twice, three times, four times, etc.
Ex: In 2005, the number of students from Greece was 9 times as high as that (=the number of
students) of Turkey.
= In 2005, Sheffield University welcomed 9 times as many students from Greece as from Turkey.
- Subject + verb + (number: A - B) + more/less + adjective/adverb + than + noun/pronoun + verb
(hidden)
Ex: In 2006, the number of Iranian students was 10 students higher than the figure for Turkey.
b. Contrast:
- Main clause (S+V), WHILE/WHEREAS clause (S+V) (+comparative structures)
Ex: In 2007, there was a steady rise in the number of Turkish students to approximately 90 students,
while the figure for Greece was on a considerable fall to less than 80 students.
- Main clause, AS OPPOSED TO/COMPARED WITH + Noun/data
Ex: In 2009, 160 students from Iran enrolled at Sheffield University, as opposed to the much less
significant figure for Greece (roughly 40 students).
