IV) Writing part (1)
The Graph (IELTS exams)
You must write a minimum of 150 words (you lose marks if
you write fewer!)
Although the words must be at least 150,
this does not mean that the maximum number of words should be extremely high,
e.g., 300. I recommend a maximum of 200 words and a minimum of 160.
Maximum time 20 (recommended) – 25 minutes (not recommended as you lose time from the essay that counts more, as the total
time for the writing is 1 hour, meaning that you have only 40 min for the essay
if the graph takes you 20 min to write)
I advise you to write the graph max in 20 minutes so that
not to run out of time and lose time from the 2nd part (essay)
that counts more, about 66%!
You should keep in mind that 20 min is the maximum time you
should spend on the graph, but you should spend a short time (about 2 – 4
min) reading the graph again and checking for mistakes and typos. Thus, the writing time for the graph would be less than 20 min,
for instance, it would be 17 – 18 min with an additional 2 – 3 min for the
corrections!
I advise you to write the essay first and, after this, the graph so that not to run out of time and lose time from the writing,
as the 2nd part (essay) counts more than the graph: about 66%! If you follow this advice, you must be careful to
write the essay and the graph on the right answer sheet (there are separate for each part).
Also, do not forget to leave a space (a line) after each
paragraph.
Some have the habit of indenting each paragraph. However, I think doing it in IELTS writing (essay and graph) is unnecessary. If you want to indent a paragraph on your
computer, you may check the article http://www.macmousecalls.com/files/0a663668fd38d1a17adf2eea038a6dda-65.html
The TIPS from the British Council for Writing are on http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-your-test/test-day-advice/writing-test-advice
The 3 Basic Tips:
Think that you describe the information to someone who cannot see
it!
An important TIP not to waste time: Do NOT describe everything! You will waste valuable time if you do this!
Compare similarities;
differences; same trends; contrasts; how things change within and across.
I advise you to write the essay first and, after this, the graph
so that not to run out of time and lose time from the writing, as the 2nd
part (essay) counts more than the graph: about 66%! If you follow this advice, you must be careful to write the essay
and the graph on the right answer sheet (there
are separate for each part).
How to Avoid Pitfalls:
Avoid repeating words/phrases
Do not write too much! You should write 160 – 180 words in less
than 20 min, as the maximum time of 20 min should include 2 – 3 min for
checking the text again for typos and mistakes and for grammar flaws.
The model is introduction (a short paragraph rephrasing the
rubric (= a set of instructions, especially on an exam paper,
usually printed in a different style or color (^^)), overall
(a short paragraph, not the same as the conclusion – some omit it on the model
answer), main body (1 – 2 paragraphs), conclusion (1 short
paragraph, not the same with the ‘Overall’ paragraph if you write an
overall). It should be mentioned that many omit the ‘Overall’
paragraph, but I personally think that it is not a problem to have it.
Be careful with the conclusion. Neither should it be too long nor
the same as the ‘Overall’ paragraph
Other TIPS
Do not interpret the information or look for an explanation in the
graph – You should not give your opinion using a reference or generalizing (e.g., ‘glass is a common material’)
Use the right tense (usually past simple; you may also use the past perfect); avoid repeating; use proper prepositions; use linking words
& phrases; use variety in your vocabulary; use the passive voice correctly;
use correct grammar.
Do NOT use the present tense, as the graph describes data from a study that has been
completed!
Make clear what period you refer to.
Initially, read the report (instructions
and graph) carefully twice and identify the most important (&
striking) features. Decide what you will include (you may make short draft
notes on paper or in your mind, but this tip is not essential as in the essay).
Most discourage a written draft and say that it is better to plan in your
mind what to include.
Check especially for general features and overall trends
(useful to write the Overall part) and the most important specific features
(numbers; changes; peaks; trends).
Compare/ contrast these
features/ trends! It is paramount.
Do not use abbreviations, e.g., do not write e.g.,
(instead, write ‘for instance'), cannot (use ‘cannot’), didn’t (write 'did
not'), etc.
Do not use ‘till,' but use ‘until’; e.g., ‘...until 2019, when production dropped.’
TIPS for writing the Graph
The most important TIPS
Before you start writing
Read the rubric (= a set of instructions, especially on an exam paper,
usually printed in a different style or color (^^)) carefully and summarize the key points and overall trends and stages in your mind. (My comment:
do not waste your time writing a draft on a rough paper!)
Plan mentally how you will organize your answers.
As you write the graph:
Introduce the information of the rubric (= a set of instructions,
especially on an exam paper, usually printed in a different style or color
(^^)) in 1 sentence in your own words. Do NOT write the same words with the rubric because these words
will not be counted by the examiner! You need to paraphrase (using different words) the
rubric. So, do NOT repeat the task using the same words.
Use the right vocabulary and grammar. You will gain marks from a comprehensive vocabulary and grammar
Divide your answer into paragraphs
Use linking words
Do not use abbreviations (e.g., you should write ‘cannot’
instead of ‘can’t’)
Use formal language (e.g.,
write ‘until’ instead of ‘till’) and avoid colloquial expressions and informal
language
Finally, write a conclusion
When you complete the graph
You need to count the words to ensure they are above the
required (more than 150 words for the IELTS test). Shorter than the
required answers will lose marks. However, longer answers
will not gain extra marks!
Check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation for mistakes. Any mistake will reduce your mark!
Make sure your answer sheet is correct, i.e., is the one
that writes ‘writing part 1’ (graph)! Answering on a different sheet (the writing part 2, (essay)) will
be a disaster! Be careful not to make any mistakes with your personal and the
other data you must fill in. If you have doubts about what you must
complete, you may ask the instructor!
At the end, try to check all your answers and especially the spelling
and grammar
Reference
1) Jakeman V., McDowell C., New Insights into IELTS, Workbook with
Answers, Cambridge English, Cambridge University Press, 1st
published 2008, reprinted 2016
2) Jakeman V., McDowell C., New Insights into IELTS,
Student’s Book with Answers, Cambridge English, Cambridge University Press, 3rd
edition, 2008, 17th printing, 2015
3) Jakeman V., McDowell C., New Insights into IELTS,
Student’s Book with Answers, Cambridge English, Cambridge University Press,
2016.
Graph – Construction
Graph -types:
Graph, pie chart, line chart/graph, histogram, bar chart, area
chart, table, diagram of process/ how something works, a diagram in process.
See http://www.trozellidesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/charts-graphs-types.jpg and http://www.classroomcapers.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/r/2/r23-graphs.jpg and https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e0/92/6c/e0926c0f4406c77fb36b2fb3f4c648c9.jpg and https://images.teachthis.com.au/teaching-resources/1491536756TypesOfGraphs.png and (histogram) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histogram#/media/File:Histogram_of_arrivals_per_minute.svg
Note: another kind that I don’t think they use in the IELTS is the
funnel chart [funnel (pronounced
ˈfʌn(ə)l) =
(noun) A tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used
for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.] For a funnel chart,
See https://www.amcharts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/demo_4802_light.jpg and https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/112139/file-19350552-jpg/images/funnel-resized-600.jpg?t=1409339238750
GRAPH TIPS
(About the pronunciation, you do not know which letter to stress
from the phonetics. So, I underline and have bold the letter that needs
to be stressed)
Keywords
Misc. keywords:
By (e.g., by 2019); ago (e.g., 4 years ago); from (e.g., ‘Purchases showed a downward trend from 2017’); since/ since then (e.g., ‘Since then, unemployment has/ had fallen steadily’ (for/since + present/ past
perfect)); over (e.g., over the year/
following months); the following years;
further (e.g., ‘There was a
further slight decrease’); until (don’t use
‘till’ instead of ‘until as it is informal; e.g., ‘...until 2014,
when production dropped’); throughout (e.g., ‘It remained reasonably stable throughout the tested period/ the period examined’); back (e.g., ‘...but this was followed by a rise back to 6 percent’);
quarter (= each of four equal or corresponding parts into which something
is or can be divided; e.g., ‘There was an increase in the second quarter of the
year’); early (e.g., ‘Early in 2020..’); during; towards (e.g., ‘Towards the end
of the year...’); figure (e.g., ‘There was no change in this figure’); rate of growth; from year to year; as for (e.g., ‘As for buns and pies, sales increased…’), which; stood at (e.g., ‘the purchases of pies stood at $56,000’); respectively (without a comma before respectively; e.g., ‘Sales
increased by 4 percent and 8 percent for the UK and the
Netherlands respectively’); despite
(e.g., ‘...despite an early dip’); that of (e.g., ‘while that (the
consumption) of beef progressively dwindled’); in a sense; much less (e.g., ‘Much less
fish was consumed...’); from then on; to close just ahead; from year to year; in some
period; divided into; the rate of growth; as a percentage of the total; taking/
to take/ took the first/ second/ third place (e.g.,
in sales); the figure fell to; whereas; it
is clearly seen that; is on the increase (e.g., ‘The population of the UK is on the increase’); had the highest proportion; followed by ... and
finally… (e.g., ‘...followed by
the UK and finally Australia’); by the midpoint of
this period; had not changed; by
the end of the period examined; soared/ soaring up to; this is an (x)fold increase over… (e.g., a threefold (x3) increase over five years); overtake/
exceed (e.g., ‘The sales in Australia overtook/ exceeded the sales
in the UK by 4 percent’); showed a marked
increase; is expected/predicted/forecast/estimated that...will/ to (e.g., rise) over the period examined (for a prediction about
the future, e.g., It is predicted/ forecast/ estimated that the population of our planet will increase/rise in the following 30 years); showing the greatest increase (e.g., ‘...showing the greatest increase in the five countries considered’),
as opposed to (e.g., ‘Concerning
mobile phones, the UK spent around 100,000 pounds on this as opposed to
about 40,000 pounds in Ireland’), jump (e.g., ‘A jump in the value of...’), at the beginning
(e.g., As for Italy and Germany, the production
was at low levels at the beginning of the period examined/tested period).
Other useful keywords:
Increment ((also analyzed below) pronounced ˈɪŋ.krə.mənt
= one of a series of increases (^^) in an amount/ value; e.g., Their pay escalated
in five-cent increments to a maximum of 100 cents an hour); proportion (e.g., ‘The pie chart illustrates the proportion of…’); the bare essentials (= thing(s) that is absolutely
necessary, e.g., They only had the bare essentials in the way of equipment);
expenditure (e.g., ‘The expenditure on
CDs in the UK was higher than in Ireland’), venue ((also analyzed below) =
a place where something, for example, an event such as a sports event, a
convention or a concert is held), value (e.g., ‘A jump in the value of...); revenue (not to be confused with the word ‘venue’; revenue means income,
especially of a company or organization and of a substantial nature); over the same period; levels (e.g.,
consumption levels); in terms of (e.g., ‘In terms of mobile phones, the UK had...’), type (e.g., type of meat e.g., chicken, beef, etc.), during the time examined/ throughout the examined period; during
the course (e.g., ‘During the
course of 2020...’); transported goods (e.g., Milk was transported to the dairy (don’t write ‘transferred’ to the dairy); the
other (e.g., 'The use of the other means of transport'
- instead of saying ‘Using the rest (‘rest’ goes with ‘of’) of
transports means’), mode (e.g., ‘...popular mode of transporting goods’ (don’t write
‘transferring goods’) ); pastime (= how we spend our
time; hobbies); the picture/figures
changed; reflecting the fact of; in the forms of (e.g., ‘it is described in the form of a colored map’); module; pattern; trend; the last quarter (referring to a time period); both the differences and the similarities are striking; prone to; induced; proportionate; evenly; uneven (= not regular, consistent or equal); considered (e.g., ‘….showing the
greatest increase in the five countries considered’)
Cases
Incidence: incidence, occurrence,
case/ cases; instances
Instances = occurrences
Prevalence = total number of cases in a specific time
Incidence = new cases over a period of time
Cost
Expenditure
Cost
Funds
Expense/ expenses
Outlay (= an amount of money spent on something,
especially as the 1st investment in something, e.g., ‘A modest outlay on local
advertising’)
Sales/ profits/purchases
Revenue = (noun) Income, especially when of a company or
organization and of a substantial nature, e.g., It allowed Humpy Ltd. to
raise substantial revenues.//
e.g., Steven says that his company’s revenue has risen by 20 percent during the past five years./// A state’s annual income from
which public expenses are met, e.g., While
faster growth raises payroll tax revenues, it also drives up benefits.///
Revenues = items or amounts constituting a state’s
income, e.g., The government's tax revenues./// The
government department collecting revenues, e.g., ‘The officers from the revenue visited them.’
Other useful words
Venue = the place where something happens, especially an organized
event such as a conference, sports event, or concert, e.g., entertainment
venue (e.g., sports, cinemas, theme parks)
Increment (pronounced ˈɪŋ.krə.mənt)
= (noun) An increase or addition, especially one of a series on a fixed
scale, e.g., Their pay could escalate in five-cent increments
to a maximum of 100 cents an hour./// A
regular increase in salary on an incremental scale, e.g., He had
waived his right to the second increment of $8 million so that it could be
distributed among 60 employees.// e.g.,
The mother would lose the regular salary increments and
performance.
Quota = a limited or fixed
number or amount of people or things, e.g., ‘Fishermen
could only catch 122,000 of the 190,000-ton cod quota for 2020.’
Proportion (e.g., ‘The pie chart illustrates the proportion of…)
Surplus (pronounced sɜː.pləs)
= (adjective) An amount that is more than is needed, e.g.,
The world is now producing large food surpluses.// e.g., The
store is selling off stock that is surplus to requirements (UK English)./// The
amount of money you have left when you sell more than you buy or spend
less than you own, e.g. A budget/ trade surplus.// e.g., The
school’s bank account was in surplus (^^)
GDP = abbreviation for Gross Domestic Product = the
total value of goods and services produced by a country in
a year, e.g., If the GDP continues to shrink, the
country will be in a recession (^^)
Cycle (pronounced ˈsʌɪk(ə)l) = (noun) a series of events
that are regularly repeated in the same order, e.g., The boom and slump
periods of a trade cycle.
Commodity = (noun) a substance or product that can be traded,
bought, or sold, e.g., The country’s most valuable commodities include
tin and diamonds.// e.g., The international commodity market./// (commodity also means a valuable quality, e.g., ''If you’re going into teaching, energy is a
necessary commodity!'') (*).
Installment = (noun) A sum of money due as one of several equal payments
for something, spread over an agreed period of time e.g., The
first installment of a grant for housing.// e.g., ''To buy my
laptop (1 word), I charged my VISA with 12 monthly installments.''
Population over 67
The elderly population or senior citizens (65 years
old or older) (the latter is more politically correct than
the former))
People over retirement age (65 or older) (e.g., referring to work/ pensions, etc.)
Age
‘At the age of 50 – 59,’ but ‘in the age group 50 – 59.’
Numerical (Time, amount/value/address)
In the IELTS exams, you write numbers and
currencies as words, not symbols.
Numbers: be
aware of the period (.) and the comma (,) that are
not the same when counting an amount, e.g., 1.50 kilos (kilograms)
is one and a half kilo, while 1,500 kilos is 1 kilo and 500 grams.
We mark the thousand as value with a comma, e.g., 3,000 (thousand) cases of malaria (write neither 3.000 nor
3000) (My comment: in my texts, I often write it with the international form,
e.g., as 3 000, with a gap instead of a comma, but in the IELTS exams you
should write it as 3,000). The currency symbol goes before the
number, e.g., $ 5. Also, we write $1,024.50 (for one thousand
twenty-four point fifty; we do not write 1024,50 $). An
example of the above is the amount of $3,896,547 is three million, eight hundred
and ninety-six thousand, five hundred and forty-seven dollars.// 1,200,000 = one point two million.
1,500 is pronounced ‘one thousand five hundred’ or
''fifteen hundred!''
bn (abbreviation) =billion
m (abbreviation) =million
g (or gr) = gram
Thrice = three times (x3) (e.g., (in a prescription) The dose (of
medicine) is 20 mg thrice daily (the abbreviation is 20 mg t.i.d.)
Quarter (= each of four equal or corresponding parts into which something
is or can be divided, e.g., ‘There was an increase in the second quarter of the
year’).
Hundredfold = (X)100
Notes
The SI (International System of Unit) prefix for a thousand is kilo-
with the official symbol 'k'—for instance, prefixed to ‘metre’ (meter in
US English) or its symbol ‘m,’ kilometer or symbol ‘km’ signifies a
thousand meters. So, people occasionally represent the number in a non-standard
notation by replacing the last three zeros of the general numeral with
"K": for instance, 30K for 30,000. [My comment: Neither will
you find the symbol ‘k’ (as 1,000) in the IELTS exams, nor will you have to use
it, as it is colloquial. So, do not write it in the IELTS
exams! You may find the ''K'' symbol, for example, in the number of ‘likes’
or ‘dislikes’ or the resolution in YouTube videos! I just refer to it for the
record!].
A decimal separator is a symbol that separates the integer part from the fractional part of a number written in
decimal form. Different countries officially designate different symbols for
the decimal separator. By the SI (International System of Unit) writing style,
space can be used as thousands separator, i.e., to separate the digits of a
number at every power of 1 000 (i.e., 1(space)000). The convention for digit
group separators historically varied among countries but usually sought to
distinguish the delimiter from the decimal separator. Traditionally, English-speaking
countries employed commas as the delimiter – 10,000, while other European
countries employed periods or spaces: 10.000 or 10 000 (i.e., 10(space)000).
Because of the confusion that could result in international documents, the superseded SI/ISO 31-0 standard has advocated using spaces as separators in recent years. [My comment: In the IELTS exams, you will
find and use the comma as the delimiter, i.e., 1,000. As a writer, in my
texts, I use space to distinguish the delimiter from the decimal separator to
avoid confusion. The problem is that we do not have an internationally accepted
way to write standards, such as a system of units. For example, weight is
expressed in different units in different countries, such as in ''Kilogram''
worldwide, but in ''pounds'' in the US and ''stones'' and ''pounds'' in the UK!
My point is that we live in the 21st century, so we need to have
international protocols, units, and measurements for everything, from science
(including medicine), to measurement units and languages where we need to
create what I call ‘international English’ that officially does not exist!].
Time: is referred to as
a.m. (meaning before noon) and p.m. (meaning after noon) (''noon''
or ''midday'' is 12 o'clock in the day), e.g., 5 a.m. (in the
IELTS, we don’t write 5:00), 5 p.m. (in the IELTS we don’t write
17:00) or 2.40 p.m. (in the IELTS we don’t write 14:40)
Tons (vs) Ton (vs) Tonne
Tons (plural) = (plural) (informal) = an
extremely large amount, e.g., We have got tons of food left over from the
party (^^)
Ton (plural = ton or tons)
(weight). (US tn) (also t) But ‘Metric ton’ =
tonne = a unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms (^^)
Beginning:
Starting point; at the start (e.g., ‘At the start of 2020...’), outset (= the start or beginning of something, e.g., ‘From the outset, they planned
to conduct their research together (**)); at
the beginning (e.g., For Italy and Germany, the production was
at low levels at the beginning of the period examined)
About:
About; approximately; roughly; around; more or less (e.g., more or less stable).
You may also use the word ''roundabout,'' but some prefer
using the word ‘about’ alone. I am inclined to believe that
‘about’ alone is a better option.
You may use the word ‘nearly,’ e.g., ‘In
1971, about 55 percent of people owned a single car, and nearly 35 percent
had no car.’
You may also use the word ‘almost’
Consist of something:
Comprise (e.g., The smallest group comprised 6 percent)
Consist of
Constitute (e.g., Heart disease
constitutes the first cause of mortality over (the age of) 65)
Make-up (e.g., Ozone
damages the cellular make-up of plants and trees)
The difference between ‘the rest’ & ‘the remaining’
Rest of
Rest (of) = (noun) (in singular) The remaining part of
something, e.g., ‘What do you want to do for the rest of your life?’///
e.g., ‘I'll tell you the rest (story) tomorrow night.’ // (treated
as plural) e.g., The remaining people or things; the others, e.g., ‘The
rest of us were experienced skiers.’
We use ‘The rest of (something) when we do NOT know the quantity of something, e.g., ''I have read 30 pages (of this book) today. I will read the
rest of the pages at the weekend.''
Remaining
Remaining = (adjective) Still existing, present, or in use;
surviving, e.g., ''Linda was my last remaining close relative.''
// e.g., The few remaining employees are working part-time.
Note: Adjectives
describe a noun or pronoun (^^), and they usually go before a noun.
Remaining means what has
been left after something has been removed. It is an act or occurrence, e.g., The remaining book
The remaining = when we KNOW the quantity of something, e.g.,
''I have read 30 pages (of this book) today. I will read the remaining 60
pages at the weekend.'’
Examples:
‘For the remaining (not ‘the rest’) three countries, the percentage stood at lower
levels.’
‘After the second third of 2000, poor
literacy levels were still the highest in Finland, compared to the remaining
(not ‘the rest’) three countries.’
Here 'remain' is a verb: ‘Finland jumped to the highest percentage of poor
literacy levels, about 30 percent, overtaking the figures of the other
three countries that remained at (not ‘remained to’) lower
levels.’
A good example is: ‘The rest of your life
is up to you.’// ‘You have 6 months of life remaining.’ // ‘The rest
of your life is long.’// ‘Your remaining life is precious!’
Remainder
Remainder = (noun) A part of something left over when other parts
have been completed, used, or dealt with, e.g., ‘Leave a few mushrooms
for garnish and slice the remainder.’// e.g., The remainder of the year.
Note: Remains (plural) (human
remains) or remnants = mortal remains, corpse, dead body. For a
saint, we use the word ‘relic’. So be careful when using the word
(human) ‘remains’, as it means a dead body!
Tense
Use the right tense (usually past simple; you may also use the past perfect)
Do NOT use the present tense, as the graph describes data from a study that has been completed!
Answer Structure of Graph:
Introduction
Overall (a snapshot)
Description
Conclusion (you sum up)
Introduction
Paraphrase (using different words) the rubric (= a set of instructions,
especially on an exam paper, usually printed in a different style or color
(^^)). Do NOT
write the same words with the rubric because these words will not be counted by
the examiner! You need to paraphrase the rubric. So, do not repeat the task
using the same words.
Proposed introduction phrase
The graph/ report/ chart provides/ shows/ illustrates/ describes/ depicts/ indicates
information/ data/ statistical information/ figures of/ the trends for/ the
changes
The graph illustrates the amounts of
goods….
From the graph, we can see that…
The chart shows figures for…
This report describes the changes in the number of (e.g., sales) …. from the beginning
of ..to… (e.g., from the beginning of 2016 to the end of
2019 (you specify the time)
We also refer to the subjects, if not too many:
e.g., ...four sports, namely cricket, tennis, and soccer.
e.g., The graph shows the proportion of the population… in four
different countries, namely the USA (or the U.S.), the
Philippines, the UK, and Sweden.
e.g., …in a different range of countries in 2018, namely
in Austria, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands.
You should also refer
to measurements (for a number or currency (a standard unit of money) do not use
the symbol, but write it in full):
e.g., ‘it is
measured in dollars/ pounds
sterling (not ‘pound sterlings’; the singular is: pound sterling)
e.g., 'The chart illustrates the amount of money measured in
pounds sterling spent on three consumer
goods (computers, mobile phones, CDs, and books) in the UK and
Ireland in 2019.
When we have expected future trends, the Introduction may
be, for example, ''The graph illustrates the...with a prediction for the future.''
Examples of the above:
‘The table shows statistical information about the production of grains, namely wheat, corn, maize,
and rice, measured in a million metric tons from 2011 to
2019, with a projection until 2030.’
‘The line graph shows the trends in (not ‘the
trends on’) motorcycle production in the UK, the USA, Italy, and
Germany.’
‘The line graph gives the statistical information about the
percentage of low literacy levels (not ‘literacy level’) at
the age of 18 for the period 2010 – 2019’
The line graph shows the trend of (not ‘the trend on’)
the number of passengers at a London underground station related to time.
Be precise and refer to all parameters:
e.g., The bar chart describes the percentage
of people who watch television via smartphone according to
age.
e.g., The graph depicts the number of cars as a
percentage of households between 1971 and 2016 in the
UK.
(1) Household = a house and its occupants regarded as a unit.
Overall
‘Overall’ is a single paragraph always written BELOW the introductory paragraph.
It should be mentioned that many omit the ‘Overall’ paragraph,
but I personally think that it is not a problem to have it.
Overall is a snapshot! It
is NOT the same as the conclusion that sums things up! We highlight the key features!
I recommend the ‘Overall’ paragraph to be briefer than the
conclusion.
We start the short paragraph with the word ‘Overall,’ (overall is followed by a comma):
e.g., ‘Overall, the internet was more popular
than TV (or ‘Overall, people preferred the internet over
TV’).
e.g., ‘Overall, the expenditure in
the UK was higher than that of Ireland.’
e.g., ‘Overall, there is an upward
trend in the population of Japan that is predicted to continue
over 2030.
e.g., ‘Overall, in the middle 1970s
motorcycle production was the highest in the USA, followed by
the production in Italy and Germany.’
We compare, e.g., ‘Overall, in Ukraine there is an upward trend in
(not ‘trend on’) the production of corn that is predicted to continue until
2030.’
Main body:
Description
Describe central figures and trends. What, who, where, when,
how
Introduction (for the description) phrases:
As can be seen/ noticed/ inferred/ deduced (not ‘deducted’, that means ‘subtracted’!) from
the graph/figure/ chart/ report...
An analysis of the data shows that... (e.g., ‘An analysis of the data by the level of education
shows that...’)
Foremost, ...
Compare!
Similarities; differences; same trends; contrasts; how
things change within and across:
e.g., ‘Both the differences and the similarities are
striking.’
e.g., ‘Concerning mobile phones, the UK spent
around 100,000 pounds on this as opposed to about 40,000 pounds in
Ireland. The expenditure on CDs in the UK was higher than in Ireland (about 9,000
pounds and 30,000 pounds respectively).’
e.g., The lowest income group spent a higher proportion on their health (11 percent).
Verbs:
Rise [e.g., Inflation rose by 8 percent.//// as a noun:
e.g., ‘For Germany, (you should use a comma here) figures
showed the same trend, although there was (don’t omit ‘there was’) a
significant rise in 1973’]; Reached (e.g., ‘...reached a point of 10,000 births’); reached a figure of (e.g., ‘This rise is predicted to continue until 2030, reaching a
figure of 100 million metric tons’), suffered (e.g., ‘Sales suffered
a sharp drop’); experienced (e.g., ‘Sales experienced
a decline’); sustained; comprise (= include); accounted for; consisted of; stood at (better use it at the beginning and the end of the
description; e.g., ‘Unemployment rate
in the UK stood at 5 percent (1)); staged (e.g., ‘Unemployment staged
a partial recovery’)/ staged to; started off (e.g., ‘It started off
steady’); continued (e.g., ‘Sales continued to rise’), amount to; followed by; following (e.g., ‘Following this drop, there was a marked rise
in sales’); is prone to/ is inclined to; induced; appears/ displayed (e.g., ‘Sales displayed a decline’); blossomed (out)/ bloomed (usually
used for the economy); hit (e.g., ‘Sales hit a
peak of 76 percent’); induced; tailed off (tail off = to reduce in amount or become
lower in level, e.g., The profits tailed off after a few years./// To
become gradually less or smaller, e.g., Profits tailed off in the
last half of the year (^^))]
(1) up’ instead of ‘stood at’!
Note: about ‘secure’ (e.g.,
‘The value decreased securing five percent in 2001’), although
some recommend it as a verb when describing a graph, you should better NOT use the
verb ‘securing’ instead of reaching, as secure means: get, protect, fix, and
ensure that lent money will be returned back).
Money/ time
Main TIPS:
Time: We spend/ waste time in/on something (also spend time with somebody and at an activity)
Money: We spend/waste/squander money ON something
Money or other
resources: We squander something ON something
We spend/waste time in something (e.g., ‘You need to spend your time in a relaxed way') or on something (e.g., ‘I am far too busy to waste time on frivolities (= silly, unimportant things) like going to the cinema’ (^^). We also spend time with a person and at an activity.
But we spend/waste money on something.
Instead of ‘waste time/ money’, we may use the phrase ‘fritter something away’ = waste time, money, or energy on trifling (trifle = unimportant or trivial; pronounced ˈtraɪ.f(ə)l) matters, e.g., ‘I wish we hadn't frittered the money away so easily.’// e.g., ‘She fritters much money away on expensive make-up’ (^^).
For money or other resources, we may also use the verb ‘squander’ = to waste money or supplies, or to waste opportunities by not using them to your advantage (*), e.g., Continuing their protest tomorrow will only squander what dwindling (1) public support they have left.
We squander something ON something, e.g., $100m (m = million) of taxpayers’ money has been squandered on administering the tax.// e.g., He says too much tax revenue (2) is being squandered on bureaucracy and inefficiency.
(1) Dwindle
= diminish gradually in size, amount, or strength.
(2) Revenue = income, especially when of a company or organization
and of a substantial nature; here, it means a state's annual income from which
public expenses are met.
Note: Use the right tense
(usually past simple; you may also use the
past perfect). Do NOT use the present tense, as the graph describes data
from a study that has been completed!
Verbs & Prepositions:
Reached a peak at/of, peaked
at/to, rose to/of, inclined to, participate in,
prone to, amount to, apart from, rise (rise – rose - risen), rose
by (for the amount of increase e.g., ‘Inflation rose by 8 percent’); stood at; at a point;
decreased to (point reached);
increased/ decreased by (amount of decrease); soared (soar = fly to the sky
like an eagle// rise very fast to a high level (^^)).
Note: ‘stood at’ should be better used at the beginning and the end of the description,
e.g., ‘Unemployment rate in the UK stood at 5
percent.’ Be careful not to write the typo ‘stood up’ instead of
‘stood at’!
An easy mnemonic trick about which preposition fits better
to the above verbs is that the preposition ‘to’ usually
(but not always) fits all the following verbs: peak, rise, incline/
decline, increase/ decrease, prone, and amount.
Participation (Verbs):
Participate in, take part, be engaged in
an activity (be engaged in + gerund (-ing), e.g.,
‘I am engaged in playing sports’)
Reach/ show
Reached (e.g., ‘...reached a point of 10,000 births’); reached a figure of (e.g., ‘This rise is predicted to continue until 2030, reaching
a figure of 100 million metric tons’), stood at (better use it at the beginning and the end of the description;
e.g., ‘Unemployment rate in the UK stood at
5% - Be careful not to write the typo ‘stood up’ instead of ‘stood at’!);
staged (e.g., ‘Unemployment staged
a partial recovery’)/ staged to; amounted to; appeared; displayed (e.g., ‘Sales displayed a decline’); hit (e.g.,
‘Sales hit a peak of 76 percent’).
Sustain
Suffered (e.g., ‘Sales suffered a sharp drop’); experienced (e.g.,
‘Sales experienced a decline’); sustained; appeared; displayed
(e.g., ‘Sales displayed a decline’)
Comprise/ amount
Comprised (= included);
accounted for; consisted of; amount to
Increase:
Increase; rise (rise – rose - risen), rose by (refers to the amount
of increase, e.g., ‘Inflation rose
by 8 percent’); a rise (as a noun) of (refers to a point reached, e.g.,
‘A rise of 8 percent in productivity); soared (soar = fly to the sky
like an eagle), went up (e.g., ‘Sales went up
slightly’), shot up, high; surged (like a big wave); grew (verb)/ growth ((noun) e.g. ‘This
growth is expected to continue the following 15 years’); climbed (e.g., Owners without a high school diploma have climbed (not ‘heightened’) from 18 percent in 2014 to 37 percent in 2017), heightened, jumped (e.g.,
‘Inflation jumped to 6 percent’)
Other words for increased (used
less commonly as they have a different meaning): augmented; amplified; aggravated; proliferated; escalated; culminated (= reached a high point). Hike (verb & noun) is used for cost increase; e.g., Retailers
have hiked (= to increase the cost of something) (up) prices again.// e.g., The
recent hike in train fares came as a shock to commuters (= those who regularly
travel between work and home) ((*) for a hike)
Sharp Increase:
Soared to (soar = rise very fast to a high level (^^) e.g., ‘During the
next years, changes were dramatic, especially for Sweden where
poor literacy soared to (not ‘soared at’) about 27 percent in
2009’]; jumped; shot up
Note: We avoid using the words ‘climax’ (that may relate to e.g., female orgasm!), and we never use the
words ‘zenith’ and ‘nadir.'
Decrease:
Decreased (e.g., ‘Profits decreased steadily to $120,000’), fell; went down, dropped,
declined, plummeted (always remember the present simple form before writing the past
simple), plunged, dipped
(dip = put or let something down quickly or
briefly in or into liquid; pronounced dɪp),
lowed; bottomed out (e.g., ‘Unemployment bottomed out at 2 percent’), slumped (slump = a sudden
severe or prolonged fall in the price, value, or amount of something,
e.g., ‘A slump in annual profits’], downfall (mnemonic trick: remember it as the title of the movie about the
last days of the Third Reich!), downturn, recession
(used for the economy where we also use
the term ‘depression’ that rather doesn’t fit the graph where we use more
accurate terms!), dived (like a diver)
(irregular: dive – dived (preferred) or dove (US
English (My comment: for past simple I prefer ‘dived’ from 'dove,' as the
latter reminds me of the bird!)) – dived)
Other words describing reduction (used less commonly as they have a different meaning): diminution (= reduction in size or
importance, e.g., The company suffered a diminution in profits
(^^))
Steep decrease:
Plummeted (plummet = a steep and rapid fall or drop, e.g., House
prices have plummeted in recent months (^^^)), plunged (plunge = to become lower
in value or level very suddenly and quickly, e.g., The fall in demand
caused share prices to plunge.// Our income has plunged
dramatically (^^)), slumped [slump = a sudden
severe or prolonged fall in the price, value, or amount of something,
e.g., ‘A slump in annual profits’], dived (like a diver; it is
irregular: dive – dived (preferred) or dove (US
English (My comment: for past simple, I prefer ‘dived’ from 'dove,' as the
latter reminds me of the bird!)) – dived)
Fast decrease:
Tumbled (verb)/ tumble
(noun) (tumble = a rapid fall in amount or value, e.g., ‘A tumble
in share prices’]
Raise (vs.) rise:
Raise (raise - raised –
raised) is a regular and transitive verb, so the verb must have a direct object, e.g., ‘When the teacher
asked us who knows the answer, I raised my hand.’
Rise is irregular (rise –
rose – risen) and intransitive verb; so, it does NOT
require an object, e.g., ‘Unemployment
rates rose significantly.’
In a nutshell, ‘someone
raises something’ (vs.) ‘something
rises.'
Note: we say, ‘have reduced/ increased/ decreased’; but we do NOT use the passive form 'has been' for reduced/
increased/ decreased, i.e., it is wrong to say, ‘sales have been increased/
decreased/ reduced’
Point:
At a point; reach a high/ the highest point
Top:
Top (noun); topped
(as a verb; used for figures; means slightly more, e.g., ‘Sales
topped $1 million in January’); peaked at; reached a peak.
Of/ to (point reached) (vs) by (amount of increase/decrease):
a) Note the difference
between a rise of (refers to a point reached) and a rise by (refers to an amount of increase): e.g., A rise of 5 percent in unemployment (vs.) A rise
in unemployment by 5 percent (or ‘Unemployment rose by 5 percent’)
b) Note the difference
between increased/ decreased to and increased/ decreased by
increased/ decreased to (refers to a point reached): e.g., ‘Purchases decreased to 5,000 books’ (e.g., If
sales stood at 10,000 books and then slumped to 5,000 books, that means that
they decreased to 5,000 books) (point reached)
(
increased/ decreased by (refers to
the amount of increase/ decrease): ‘Purchases decreased
by 5,000 books’ (e.g., If sales stood at 15,000 books and then
slumped to 10,000 books, that means that they decreased by
5,000 books (15,000 – 10,000 = 5,000)) (amount of decrease)
Long–term crisis:
A trough (period) (pronounced trɒf)
A trough is the stage of the economy’s
business cycle that marks the end of a period of declining business activity
and the transition to expansion.
See
(image): http://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trough.asp
Trough = a low point in a
regular series of high and low points, e.g., Investing regularly in small amounts is a good way of smoothing out the peaks and troughs of the stock
market (^^).
(My comment: I guess many of you know this word with the meaning
of ''a long, narrow open container for animals
to eat or drink out of'' - See https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Livestock_trough_near_Empire_Ranch_Arizona_2007.jpg )
Cycle
Cycle (pronounced ˈsʌɪk(ə)l) = (noun) a series of
events that are regularly repeated in the same order, e.g., The boom and
slump periods of a trade cycle.
Over (for a time period):
e.g., ‘However, over the next two years, this figure fell
steadily to around 10 percent.’
By
Refers to the amount of decrease, e.g., A rise in unemployment by 5 percent (or
‘Unemployment rose by 5 percent’).// // e.g., ‘Purchases
decreased by 5,000 books’ (e.g., If sales stood at 15,000 books and
then slumped to 10,000 books, that means that they decreased by
5,000 books (15,000 – 10,000 = 5,000)).
Referring to time, e.g., ‘...reaching
a peak of 23 percent of the TV audience by 9 p.m.’
To:
Refers to a point reached, e.g.,
‘Purchases decreased to 5,000 books’ (e.g., If sales stood at
10,000 books and then slumped to 5,000 books, that means that they decreased
to 5,000 books).
Of:
(refers to a point reached) e.g., A rise of 5 percent in unemployment
A low point:
Trough (see above ‘trough
period’); reached a low; a low point
The lowest point that is about to improve
Bottomed out (To have reached the lowest point in a continuously
changing situation and to be about to improve, e.g., The government
claims that the recession is bottoming out (^^).// e.g., ‘Unemployment
bottomed out at 2 percent’).
The highest-ever point/ an all-time high:
The highest–ever point (e.g.,
The number of public transport (or 'public transportation' in North American
English) users shot up to about 500,000 people, the highest-ever
point (not ‘a highest-ever point’)); an all-time high; to
hit the highest point
The lowest-ever point/ an all-time low:
The lowest–ever point (e.g.,
‘The lowest–ever figure of 1.8 million’); an all-time low; to
hit the lowest point
Higher/-est/ Lower/-est
e.g., The lowest income group spent a higher
proportion on their health (11%).
Steady:
Steady (we may also use it for increase/ decrease, e.g., ‘A steady
increase in unemployment’); remained steady/
stable (e.g., ‘Figures remained stable at
this level in 2018’); remained constant/
fairly constant; to be little
variation; stabilized; entered a period of stability; reached a plateau (plateau is also used as
a verb 'plateaued’, e.g., ‘Then sales plateaued’); level off; level out (= the process of
leveling off); flattened out (e.g., ‘It flattened
out at the level of 20’); was/ remained consistent.
Plateau
Plateau (mnemonic trick: e-a-u) (apart from a noun, it is also a verb)
(plural = plateaux (or plateaus in North
American English)) = (noun) a state of little or no change following a period of
activity or progress; e.g., Growth reached a plateau./// (verb) reach a state of little or no change after a
time of activity or progress; e.g., Growth plateaued out.
Change/ Vary:
Fluctuated (fluctuate = rise and fall irregularly in number or amount;
pronounced ˈflʌk.tʃu.eɪt); showed some fluctuation; vary
(pronounced ‘ˈvɛːri’;
not to be confused with ‘very’)/ varied/ variety (pronounced ‘vəˈrʌɪəti’)/
showed some variation/ fluctuation; there was little variation (not ‘a little
variation’); grew at uneven rate; the pattern over the years was more variable (e.g., ‘The pattern over the 25 years was more variable’);
the highest difference; the picture/figures changed to...
Small:
Marginal [(pronounced ˈmɑːdʒɪn(ə)l)
e.g., ‘Sales showed a marginal rise’]; marginally; a little (e.g.,
‘Production fall a little’); just; merely; gentle/ gently (e.g., ‘A gentle
decrease in sales’); minimal (e.g. It showed an upward
trend that was minimal); slight/ slightly
Very/exceedingly small/ almost the same:
Negligible, minimal (e.g. It showed
an upward trend that was minimal), slight, minimum, to be little
variation
Almost zero
Infinitesimal (pronounced ˌɪn.fɪ.nɪˈtes.ɪ.məl)(adjective)(the
adverb is infinitesimally))= an indefinitely small quantity; a value approaching zero, e.g., The
amounts of radioactivity present were infinitesimal (^^^).// e.g., Even in infinitesimal
amounts, this poison may be lethal (^^^).
Moderate:
Somewhat (= by a moderate amount
or to a moderate extent), e.g., ‘Sales have improved somewhat since
then.’
Specific:
To be specific (preferred from
‘specifically’); particularly/ In particular
Sharp:
Steep/ steeply; sharp (e.g., ‘A sharp increase
in sales’)/ sharply; dramatic/ dramatically; significant/
significantly; marked/ markedly; considerable/ considerably;
substantial/ substantially
Fast:
Rapid (e.g., ‘A rapid drop in sales’); fast; swift
(= happening quickly or promptly (1))/ swiftness
(1) Swift is also a swift-flying bird with a superficial resemblance to a swallow that makes nests during the Spring!
Gradual:
Gradual/ gradually (e.g., ‘Inflation rose
gradually’); progressively
Gradual decrease:
Dwindled (dwindle= diminish
gradually in size, amount, or strength, e.g.,
Traffic has dwindled to a trickle.// e.g., North Sea gas supplies are
gradually dwindling)
Average
On average (e.g., ‘I earn $80 a day on average’ (^^^)); an average of (e.g., ‘Prices have risen by an average of 5 percent
over the past year’ (^^^)); in an average population (e.g., In an
average population, 9 percent of men/males suffer from/exhibit some form of
color blindness); on an average, a little less than (e.g., ‘On an
average, a little less than 10 percent of men suffer from/ have/
exhibit some form of color blindness’)
Compare/ Multiply:
Doubled; twofold (1 word); 4 times
as high; 3 times as many; treble (x 3), hundredfold
(x 100) (1 word); thousand; halve (as a
verb, e.g., ‘In 2016 profits halved’); 3 out of 4 (¾);
taking the first/second place; the second-highest; the third-lowest
Compare (peaks, numbers)
The third-highest; the
second-lowest; the highest; the greatest; the smallest; comparatively;
proportionate/ disproportionate; much bigger
Order:
The first; the second; the third,… the last
First (or ‘first and foremost’; or ‘first of all’; or ‘primarily’), ‘secondly’, ‘thirdly’… and ‘Lastly’ (or ‘finally’).
First and foremost
The former…the latter: The former refers to
the 1st word described in the previous sentence, while the latter
(pronounced ‘ˈlatə'; not ‘ˈleɪtə’ as the word 'later')
is the 2nd between the two subjects, e.g., ‘I will speak about
eggs and fish. The former has a high protein content, while the latter
has less.’// e.g. ''The population in China overtakes that of India and
in the latter (the second in order, i.e., in India) is
predicted that it (the population) will stand at 30 percent in
2050.''
Reverse
Reversed (not reverted) e.g., ‘This sharp upward trend
reversed with…’ // e.g., Overall, in the middle 1970s
motorcycle production was the highest in the US, followed by the production in
Italy and Germany. However, at the end of the period examined,
these figures were reversed)
Recovery (e.g., Sales sustained partial recovery).
Improvement:
Upturn, improvement/ improved
Worsen
Downturn, make/ get worse,
worsen, deteriorate
Overtake/ Exceed/ surpass
Overtook, e.g., ‘The number of
male students from Australia eventually overtook the number of
females from the same country.’ // e.g., ''The sales in Australia overtook
the sales in the UK by 4 percent.''
Exceeded, e.g., ‘The sales in Australia exceeded the
sales in the UK by 4 percent.’
Surpass (= exceed; be greater than), e.g., The quarterly sales figures have surpassed everyone's expectations (**).
Note: you should better NOT use the terms: outnumber,
overcome, or outweigh.
Trend:
Show a steady/ slight
upward/downward trend
Upturn (= an improvement or
upward trend, especially in economic conditions or someone's fortunes e.g., A
sharp upturn in the economy (^^^))
‘At’ the age of (vs) ‘In’
the age group
We say: ‘at
the age of X,’ but ‘in the age group A–B’
Example: Figures were more dramatic for the graduates who hit a
peak of about $700 in the
age group (not ‘at the age’) 50–59. Non-graduates peaked at the age (not ‘peaked in’) of 40–49 at $570, whereas, following this, there
was a slight decrease at the age (not ‘in the age’) of 50–59 to $560.
Other useful TIPS:
Be careful with the use of ‘the’ (the
rules are described in the part of the Review following the vocabulary); for instance, we don’t use
it when speaking generally; e.g., ‘As for buns, sales soared…’ (not
‘the sales soared’)),
Be careful with the use of ‘commas’ (usually most, including me, overuse them!) and ''apostrophe'' (e.g., ‘The work is
due to start in three weeks’ time.’// e.g., ‘St Thomas’ Hospital.’
– Be careful not to use an apostrophe when it is not needed, e.g., ‘Chicken
consumption (not chicken’s) exceeded that of beef’ (not beef’s).
Write the time (e.g., year) at the beginning of the sentence, e.g., ‘In 1989, the
population in the US was….’
Mention the starting point/points before referring to the trends
Prediction (the trends in the future)
Introduction: The graph illustrates the...with a prediction for the future
It is predicted/ forecast/ estimated/ expected that...will, e.g., increase/rise
e.g., ‘It is predicted/ forecast/ estimated that the
population of our planet will increase/rise in the following 30 years.’
The...is expected to … e.g., ‘The
population of our planet is expected to increase/ rise in the
following 30 years.’ /// e.g. ‘This growth (not ‘this grow’ that
is the verb) is expected to continue the following 15 years.’
Are/is expected/ is predicted, e.g., ‘By the end of the period examined, dramatic
changes are expected. The population in India is the most significant/
remarkable change soaring up to 20 percent in 2050. That
is a two-fold increase over 33 years. The population in China overtakes that
of India, and in the latter (the second in order, i.e., in India) is
expected/ predicted that it (the population) will stand at 30
percent in 2050.
Forecast (mnemonic trick: remember the phrase: weather (beware of
the typo ‘whether) forecast) [as a verb: forecast (infinitive)
– forecast (preferred) or forecasted (past simple) – forecast (preferred)
or forecasted (p.p.] – e.g., Snow has been forecast for tomorrow.//
e.g., They forecast a large drop in unemployment over the next 5 years.// ((+)
full infinitive) e.g., Oil prices are forecast to increase by
less than 3 percent this year./// Also as a noun, e.g., The economic
forecast for the German GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is optimistic. The budget
surplus is predicted to be 44b (billion) Euros).
To Emphasize (adjectives and adverbs)
Adjectives describe a noun or
pronoun (^^) (My comment: they usually go before
a noun) e.g., A boring man// e.g. A dramatic
change.
Adverbs describe or give more
information about a verb, adjective, adverb, or phrase (My comment: they usually end to -ly and follow a verb) e.g., She smiled (verb) cheerfully
(adverb)// e.g., The house was spotlessly (adverb)
clean (^^).
Adjective/ adverb: Noticeable/ noticeably; marked (e.g., A marked fall of $2,000)/ markedly;
dramatic/ dramatically; steep/ steeply; sharp/ sharply; rapid/ rapidly;
significant/ significantly; steady/ steadily; gradual/ gradually; slow/
slowly; slight/ slightly; relative/ relatively; considerable/ considerably;
sudden/ suddenly; favorable/ favorably; apparent/ apparently;
notable/ notably; mere/ merely; obvious/ obviously; gentle/ gently; short/
shortly; quick/ quickly; exact/ exactly; reasonable/ reasonably; vast/ vastly;
immense/ immensely (= to a great extent, extremely, e.g., ‘Soon he was embarking upon his meteoric rise to an immensely powerful
position in French musical life’); outstanding/ outstandingly; even/ evenly (evenly = in or into equal amounts, e.g., ''Divide
the mixture evenly between the baking pans'' (^^)).
Other examples: a little; shortly after; consistent; proportionate; explicit (with a clear meaning,
easy to understand, e.g., ‘I have him explicit directions how to get here’ (^^^)//
e.g., ‘The speaker's intentions were not made explicit.’ /// We also use it commonly for language or content describing or
representing sexual activity in a graphic fashion); accordingly (adverb – ‘according to’ is a preposition); fast (adjective or adverb – ‘fastly’ does NOT exist
as an adjective!)
Examples: increased sharply; a small rise;
a steady upward trend; increased dramatically; a steep
drop; rose steadily; dropped significantly; remained
reasonably constant (e.g., ‘Sales remained
reasonably constant at this level’); gentle decrease; gradual increase; a significant downward trend.
Root word/ Noun/ Verb/Adjective and Adverb of the same word
Examples:
Politics – politician – politicize – political – politically
Rare – rarity – rarify – rare – rarely
Civil – civility – civilize – civil – civilly
Energy – energy – energize – energetic – energetically
Act – activity – act – active – actively
Quote – quotation – quote – quotable - ----
Agree – agreement – agree – agreeable – agreeably
Other examples of noun – adjectives – adverbs: meaningful (adjective) – meaningfully (adverb); uniform/
uniformity (noun) –
uniform (as an adjective e.g., The
walls and the furniture are a uniform white (^^^)) – uniformly (adverb); library (noun) – librarian (noun); solid (noun or adjective) – solidify (verb)
Popular:
More/ less popular (this is better than writing ‘favored’ or ‘preferred’)
Contrast
While; whereas; on
the other hand; whilst; however, although; in contrast to;
on the contrary; in comparison with; comparing to;
in contrast
Linking words/ phrases
(be careful to use the right preposition!):
As regards (e.g., ‘As regards
unemployment,...’); in/ with regard to (1)), with respect to; regarding (without
any preposition after it, e.g., Regarding unemployment,…); on no account; apparently; in
particular; concerning; apart from (not ‘apart to’); taken
on account/ into (serious) consideration; taking
everything into consideration (not ‘Everything
taking into consideration’), all things considered/
everything taken into account, to
a certain extent (not ‘extend,’ as extend
is the verb); for example/ for instance; that is to say; undoubtedly (pronounced ʌnˈdɑʊ·t̬ɪd·li;
we don’t pronounce the ‘b’ here!), on
account of the fact that; it is a
growing trend; as can be remarked; at the expense of; in
accordance with; consider of; in reference to; on
the occasion of; speaking about; in the sense that; likewise;
on the grounds of/ that; what is more; as it was stated;
virtually; practically; in
essence (= relating to the most important
characteristics or ideas of something; fundamentally, e.g., In
detail the class system is complex, but in essence it is simple.// e.g., Football, in essence, is competitive, and it is
important for the health of the game that it remains so); first and foremost; specialize
in; is due to; in addition to; noteworthy, on the occasion of;
in fact.
Conclusion
You sum up!
Some discourage using the phrase ''In conclusion,'' as it is not
an essay!
We do NOT use the word ‘Overall’ if we have (already) included an overall paragraph below the
introduction.
Conclusion keywords
To sum up, …
In total,…(e.g., In total, incomes for males were far
higher than for females)
All in all,…
Above all,…
All told,…
Everything considered,… [e.g., ‘Everything
considered, motorbike production showed a dramatic change
(not ‘showed dramatic change’) in Italy’]
On the whole,…
All things considered,…
Taking everything into consideration/ account,… (not ‘Everything taking into consideration/
account’)
Everything taken into consideration/ account,…
In conclusion, … (My comment: it is so trite
((*) as using ‘Nowadays’ to start your essay) that most will use it. But you must
distinguish from your candidates!) (((*) trite = (of a remark, opinion, or
idea) overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or
freshness; pronounced traɪt)
Altogether (without a comma after) ….
Clearly…
In the final analysis….
To conclude….
Ultimately…
In the end…
In the end…
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