Graph Reports - English with Lee

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

sharp increase

Phrase

ʃɑːrp ɪnˈkriːs

when something goes up very fast

There has been a sharp increase in imports from Italy lately.

steep drop

Phrase

stiːp drɑːp

when something goes down very fast

The steep drop in prices surprised locals.

gradual rise

Phrase

ˈɡrædʒuəl raɪz

when something goes up slowly over a period of time

Scientists have observed a gradual rise in temperatures in this region over the past 10 years.

slight decline

Phrase

slaɪt dɪˈklaɪn

a small decrease; when something goes down a little bit

There has been a slight decline in the popularity of the brand recently.

spike

Noun

spaɪk

when something goes up a lot in a very short period of time

The recent software updates have caused a spike in calls to the help desk.

peak

Noun

piːk

the time of maximum development, value, or intensity

Well, at its peak, the city was the largest city in the Americas.

steady recovery

Phrase

ˈstedi rɪˈkʌvəri

a period of time when something stops going down and then goes up at the same speed for a while

The country's economy is making a steady recovery.

Exercise 2

Useful Expressions

Verbs that describe a change:

going up: increase, rise, grow, climb
going down: fall, decrease, decline, drop
no change: stay the same, remain constant, show no change

Adverbs that describe a change:

small change: slightly, gradually, slowly, steadily
big change: sharply, suddenly, significantly, steeply

Other phrases:

steady recovery
reach a peak/spike
fall to a low

Tip:

Instead of adverb + verb, you can also use adjective + noun when describing graphs and figures (e.g. a sharp increase, a steep drop, a gradual rise, a slight decline, etc.)

Exercise 3

Language Practice

Graph Report

Over the first two quarters we can see a steady increase in sales, followed by a sharp rise in July. In August, we experienced a spike in consumer demand. Our sales had risen by 40% since June. Unfortunately, we've seen a gradual decline over the past four months. Now, if we take a look at Research and Development, we can see that the spending has slowed down by 50% since January. As you can see, there has been a slight decrease in spending from January through April, until May, when Research and Development spending suddenly dropped by 25%. After that, there has been a steady recovery in the next six months, followed by another steep drop in the last month.