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ACADEMIC WRITING VII

DESCRIBING TRENDS

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Sample sentences

Our turnover rose last year, but ourprofits dropped.

The banks have raised their interestrates twice this year and this haspushed up the cost of borrowing.

There has been a slight increase inthe value of the dollar, but the poundis down again.

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FORM

Trends are changes or movements. These changes arenormally in numerical items, e.g. costs, production volumesor unemployment. There are three basic trends.

For each trend there are a number of verbs and nouns toexpress the movement. We can divide the verbs intotransitive and intransitive.

After a transitive verb we must put an object. The banks have raised their interest rates twice this year. After an intransitive verb we cannot put a direct object.

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Transitive and intransitive

The meaning of a transitive verb is incomplete without a directobject, as in the following examples:

INCOMPLETE The shelfholds.

COMPLETE The shelfholds three books and a vase of flowers.

INCOMPLETE The committee named.

COMPLETE The committee named a new chairperson.

INCOMPLETE The child broke.

COMPLETE The child broke the plate.

An intransitive verb, on the other hand, cannot take a directobject: This plant has thrived on the south windowsill.

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Language of trends

Transitive intransitive nouns

Increase increase increase

Raise rise rise

Put/push/step up go/be up grow growth

Extend extend extensionExpand expand/ boom expansion

boom boom (dramaticrise)

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Transitive intransitive nouns

decrease decrease decreasefall fall

drop drop drop

put/push down go/be down -

- decline decline

cut - cut

reduce - reduction

collapse collapse (dramatic fall)

slump slump (dramatic fall)

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Transitive intransitive nouns

keep/holdstable/constant remain stable stability

maintain(at the same level) stay constant -

To stand at: we use this phrase to focus

On a particular point, before we mentionThe trends of movements:

In the sixth year sales in our region reached a peak of 24,000units.

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To reach a peak of:

In the sixth year sales in our regionreached a peak of 24,000 units.

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Sometimes we need to give more information about a

trend, as follows:

There has been a slight increase in thevalue of the dollar. (the degree of change)

Share prices fell rapidlyon the London

stock exchange today. (the speed ofchange)

Remember that we modify a noun with anadjective (a slight increase); and a verbwith an adverb (to increase slightly)

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Describing the degree of change:

dramaticalyVast(ly)

Huge(ly)Enormously(ly) Substantial(ly)Considerable/considerablySignificant(ly)

Moderate(ly)

Slight(ly)A little

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Describing the speed of change:

Rapid)ly)Quick(ly)Swift(ly)

Gradual(ly)

Slow(ly)

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A solid line

A broken line

A dotted line

The different types of lines in graphs:

The names for the axes on a graph:

Verticalaxis

Horizontal axis

The vertical axis is also called the y axis andthe horizontal axis the x axis

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The different types of graphics:

A flow chart

A pie chart A bar chart

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The graphs compare the number of deaths caused by six diseases in Someland in1990 with the amount of research funding allocated to each of those diseases. It canbe clearly seen that the amount of research funding in many cases did not correlatewith the seriousness of the disease in terms of numbers of deaths.

In 1990 there were around 0.2 million deaths from AIDS, 0.1 million deaths fromleprosy, 0.3 million deaths from tropical diseases, 0.5 million deaths from diarrhoea,0.4 million deaths from malaria and 1.8 million deaths from TB. These figures can becontrasted with the amount of funding allocated for each disease. In 1990 AIDSreceived 180 million dollars in research funding, leprosy 80 million dollars in researchfunding, tropical diseases 79 million dollars in research funding, diarrhoea 60 milliondollars in research funding, malaria 50 million dollars and TB 20 million dollars inresearch funding.

In conclusion it is clear that funding allocation for disease research in Someland isnot wholly determined by the number of deaths for which each disease is responsible

in a given year.

You should spendabout 20 minuteson this task. Writea report for a

university lecturerdescribing theinformation in thegraph below. Youshould write atleast 150 words

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Task descriptionYou will be given one or more bar graphs. Yourtask is to describe the information given in thegraph by writing a 150 word report. You are notasked to give your opinion.

You should spend around 20 minutes on the task.

What is being tested is your ability to: objectively describe some graphic information

compare and contrast report on an impersonal topic without the use of

opinion use the language of graph description

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Guidelines for a good answer

Does the report have a suitable structure? Does it have an introduction, body and conclusion? Does it include connective words to make the writing

cohesive within sentences and paragraphs?

Does the report use suitable grammar andvocabulary? Does it include a variety of sentence structures? Does it include a range of appropriate vocabulary? Does the report meet the requirements of the task? Does it meet the word limit requirements? Does it describe the whole graph adequately? Does it focus on the important trends presented in

the graphic information?

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