Writing about Graphs and tables

Edited by : Hai Nguyen

(HEC-VN006)

Getting the Main Idea

One of the most important things to do is get the main idea of the graph. First, identify the main features of the graph. What is happening? What are the biggest numbers? If it is a time graph, what are the biggest changes? What are the trends? (Trends means the main changes or differences over time.)

Use a Pen
Ideally you need to find one main idea and, if possible, one or two more smaller ideas.

Dont have too much information Dont analyze or explain everything in the graph Dont go from left to right, explaining everything. Instead pick the main ideas. Use the biggest and next biggest - dont mention everything in between. Don't mention the small or unimportant stuff Pick an idea and find information that supports it

Look at the graph above, from The First Measured Century, by PBS. It shows US sports players' salaries in dollars. Click to see some of the main ideas.

In 1970, baseballers earned $125,000 a year, footballers' salaries averaged $99,000 a year, and basketball players earned about $43,000 annually.

Note the main ideas:

All salaries increased Big differences between 1970 and 2000 for all sports Basketball was biggest in 2000, followed by baseball In 1970, basketball was the lowest, baseball was the highest There was a sudden rise beginning in 1980 There was another sharp rise for all sports in 1990 Salaries in football from 1995

Grouping Information
Sometimes there is too much information in a graph. You may need to group similar information. This makes it easier for the reader to understand. It is also less work for you, because you can put more than one piece of information in a sentence.

 Use a Pen! Make Groups!

For example, you might be able to divide a list into three groups. Often there is one group at the top, one in the middle, and one at the bottom. Look at the graph below, which shows the number of Internet users in European countries in 2000.

Possible groups are Top: Finland, Sweden, Netherlands, and Denmark (about 40 users per hundred) Group 2: Germany, Austria, UK (about 20 to 25 users per hundred) Group 3: Ireland, Belgium, France and Italy (14-16 users) Group 4: Spain, Portugal, Greece (less than 10% Internet use)

The language of graphs and tables

is divided, for convenience, into:
introductory expressions time expressions terms of measurement expressions of comparison and contrast expressions for trends

To use this language correctly, it is necessary to keep the following points in mind:
1. You must know the exact meaning and usage of the terms 2. You must know the collocations of the terms: i.e. you must know which expressions go together, and which are never found in combination 3. You must know the grammatical features of the terms 4. YOU MUST CARE ENOUGH TO BE ACCURATE

Introductory Expressions
1. The graph / table shows / indicates / illustrates / reveals / represents 2. It is clear from the graph / table 3. It can be seen from the graph / table 4. As the graph / table shows, 5. As can be seen from the graph / table, 6. As is shown by the graph / table, 7. As is illustrated by the graph / table, 8. From the graph / table it is dear

Task 1
1. The graph shows / indicates 2. It is clear from the table 3. It can be seen from the graph 4. As the table shows, 5. As can be seen from the graph, 6. As is shown/ illustrated by the graph, 7. From the graph it is clear a) that the population of Alia grew in the 20th century b) the growth in the size of the population of Alia c) the population of Alia grew in the 20th century

The graph shows / indicates that + Clause The graph shows / indicates + Noun phrase It is clear from the table that + Clause It can be seen from the graph that + Clause From the graph it is clear that + Clause As the table shows, + S.V.O As can be seen from the graph, + S.V.O As is shown/ illustrated by the graph, + S.V.O

Possible Answer for Task 1 Introduction Instructions:

The graph below shows the different modes of transport used to travel to and from work in one European city in 1950, 1970 and 1990.

Answer: The graph shows the percentage of travellers in a European city who used bus, car, bike and foot to commute to and from work in the years 1950, 1970 and 1990.

Some samples

Sample 1 The line graph shows estimated sales of gold in Dubai for 12 months in 2002 in millions of dirhams. There were two main seasons for gold sales.

Sample 2 The graph shows the fluctuation in the number of people at a London underground station over the course of a day.

2 Time Expressions
As you can see in the above exercise, you can start your description with a time phrase in some cases:
Between 1950 and 1990 production rose significantly...

Here are the common ones:

in for between -and during before from - to / until after

In :
In 1999... In the 20th century... In the first ten years... In 1999 there was a significant increase in production

For:
For the first six months... For twenty years...
For the first six months the number of employees remained the same.

During:
During the first six months... During the remainder of the year... During the first half of this century... During the first six months production was slowing down ,while imports increased.

From - to / until:
From August to / until November... From 1950 to 1960...

From 1950 to 1960 there was no change in energy use.

Between -and:
Between 1950 and 1960...

Between 1950 and 1960 there was no change in the rate of fuel consumption.

Before / after:

Before 1960 the number remained small but after 1965 there was a sudden increase.

Around / about:

Around / about 1980 there was a change in the number of female part-time employee

By:

By the late 19th century the rural workforce had declined significantly

At:

At the end of the last century there was a sharp increase in manufacturing

Since:
Since the 19th century there has been a steady decline.

Other useful expressions are:

(in) the period from ____to ____ (in) the period between ____ and ____ in the first/last three months of the year over the period ____ to____ over the next years/ decades/ quarter of a century etc. over a ten year period throughout the 19th century from that time on after that then in the 1980s

 Expressing movement: nouns and verbs For each trend there are a number of verbs and nouns to express the movement. We can use a verb of change, for example: Unemployment levels fell Or we can use a related noun, for example: There was a fall in unemployment levels

Direction
Verbs Rose (to) Increased (to) Went up (to) Climbed (to) Boomed Nouns A rise An increase Growth An upward trend A boom (a dramatic rise)

Direction
Fell (to) Declined (to) Decreased (to) Dipped (to) Dropped (to) Slumped (to) Went down (to) Reduced (to) A decrease A decline A fall A drop A slump (a dramatic fall) A slump (a dramatic fall) A slump (a dramatic fall) A reduction

Direction
Levelled out (at) A levelling out Did not change No change Remained stable (at) Remained steady (at) Stayed constant (at) Maintained the same level

Fluctuated (around) Peaked (at) Plateaued (at) Stood at (we use this phrase to focus on a particular point, before we mention the movement, for example: In the first year, unemployment stood at )

A fluctuation Reached a peak (of) Reached at plateau (at)

Describing the movement: adjectives and adverbs

Sometimes we need to give more information about a trend as follows:

There has been a slight increase in the value of the dollar (degree of change) Unemployment fell rapidly last year (the speed of change)

 Remember that we modify a noun with an adjective (a slight increase) and a verb with an adverb (to increase slightly).

Describing the degree of change

Describing the degree of change Adjectives Adverbs

dramatic sharp huge enormous steep substantial considerable significant marked moderate slight small minimal dramatically sharply enormously steeply substantially considerably significantly markedly moderately slightly

minimally

Describing the speed of change Adjectives Adverbs rapid rapidly quick quickly swift swiftly sudden suddenly steady steadily gradual gradually slow slowly

Describing the difference between two levels This year unemployment has increased by 20,000 cases (the difference between this year and last year is 20,000 cases). This year there has been an increase in unemployment of 5%. Notice the prepositions. We use to increase by (with the verb) and an increase of (with the noun). Describing the end point This year unemployment has risen to 10% (the end result is that unemployment is up to 10%). This year there has been a rise in unemployment to 10%. Notice the prepositions. We use to rise to (with the verb) and a rise to (with the noun)

Strong Words (Use Carefully!)

Fell Shot up Rocketed Surged plummeted plunged

Tops and Bottoms

reached a peak peaked reached their highest level fell to a low sank to a trough reached a bottom

Vocabulary : Numbers
You could describe the above table using numbers, fractions or percentages: The number went up by 600, from 1200 to 800. (Number) The number went up by half, from 1200 to 1800. (Fraction) The number went up by 50%, from 1200 to 1800. Percentage)

Use "trebled," "-fold," and "times:"

The number doubled between 1992 and 1994. The number trebled between 1994 and 1996. The number quadrupled from 1996 to 1998

There was a twofold increase between 1992 and 1994. The number went up sixfold between 1992 and 1996.

The figure in 1996 was three times the 1992 figure. The figure in 1998 was four times the 1996 figure.

Use Fractions: Between 1992 and 1994, the figure fell by one-fifth. Between 1994 and 1996, the number dropped by a half. The figure in 1998 was one-tenth the 1992 total. The figure in 1998 was two- thirds the 1992 total.

Vocabulary Tips
Don't repeat verbs Before you start to write, make a list of synonyms (words with the same meaning) See how many ways you can rephrase the title of the graph. Use one in the introduction and another in the conclusion same meaning) Be careful with prepositions. They can make a big difference in meaning. For example, "rose by" is very different from "rose to." Learn your verbs with the preposition that goes with them.

Expressing approximation
We use words to express approximation when the point we are trying to describe is between milestones on the graph. just under just over well under well over roughly nearly approximately around about

Comparing and contrasting

One syllable Adjectives with one syllable form their comparatives and superlatives like this: cheap cheaper cheapest large larger largest bright brighter brightest

Exceptions:
good bad better worse best worst

Two syllables
Some adjectives with two syllables form their comparatives and superlatives like this: pretty prettier prettiest
happy happier happiest

But many form their comparatives and superlatives like this: striking more striking most striking Although some can form their comparatives and superlatives like this: common more common most common
clever more clever most clever cleverer cleverest

Three or more syllables

All adjectives with three or more syllables form their comparatives and superlatives like this:
attractive more attractive most attractive profitable more profitable most profitable expensive more expensive most expensive

Describing one part of the chart

Starting with the adjective: The highest percentage of women are employed in the X category The greatest proportion of cars sold are red The lowest number of holiday makers come from Spain The most. A significant. The smallest. The largest.

Starting with the subject: Red is the most popular car colour
Professional is second/third most prevalent employment category Spain is the least holiday destination

as quite as Blue cars are just as Women are nearly as Spain is almost as not as

as common popular prevalent

Blue cars are Women are Spain is

more much more far more substantially more considerably more slightly more fractionally more less much less far less considerably less fractionally less

than

common popular prevalent

As many Twice as many Three times as many Not as many

red cars women holiday makers

are sold are employed in X come from X

as

More Far more Much more Many more A lot more Substantially more Considerably more Significantly more Slightly more Fractionally more

red cars are sold women are employed in X holiday makers come from X

Than

Grammar and vocabulary

You will receive a higher mark if your writing uses a range of structures and vocabulary correctly rather than a limited number. If the flow chart is simple and linear then you may be able to link the stages together by simply using some of the following transition signals.

To begin with First of all First Secondly, thirdly, etc Then Next After that Finally

 If the process is more complex, as in the example above, then you may need to also use these words Alternatively Otherwise In addition At the same time Concurrently

Connecting sentences
A. Use connectives such as the following with verb phrases. For movements in the same direction use 'then' and 'and' and 'then continued its upward / downward trend more '.

Disconnected sentences After that it rose gradually to 5,000 by 1952. And then it went up to 15,000 by 1954. Connected sentence After that it rose gradually to 5,000 by 1952, then more steeply to 15,000 by 1954 Connected sentence After that it rose gradually to 5,000 then continued its upward trend more steeply to 15,000.

For contrasting movements use but Disconnected sentences It rose to 35,000 by 1960. After that it fell to 12,000 by 1962. Connected sentence It rose to 35,000 by 1960 but later fell to 12,000 by 1962

B.

Use connectives such as the following with noun phrases. Use 'which was followed by' , 'which led to', 'which preceded Disconnected sentences There was a fall to 6,000 by 1968. Then an increase to 8,000 by 1970. Connected sentence There was a fall to 6,000 by 1968 which was followed by an increase to 8,000 by 1970.

 Connected sentence There was a fall to 6,000 by 1968 which led to an increase to 8,000 by 1970.

Connected sentence There was a fall to 6,000 by 1968 which preceded an increase to 8,000 by 1970.