<<Describing Charts and Graphs>>

<Parts of a chart>

https://learningapps.org/display?v=p394kr7ec19

<Vocabulary>

How to begin a description

Let me show you this bar graph…
Let’s turn to this diagram…
I’d like you to look at this map…
If you look at this graph, you will notice…
Let’s have a look at this pie chart…
If you look at this line chart, you will understand…
To illustrate my point, let’s look at some charts…

How to describe diagrams and other visuals: naming the parts

The vertical axis shows…
The horizontal axis represents…
This curve illustrates…
The solid line shows…
The shaded area describes…
This coloured segment is for…
The red bar…

Movement (Verbs): Up

Rose
Went up
Increased
Grew
Shot up
Surged
Rocketed

Movement (Verbs): Down

Fell
Declined
Dropped
Decreased
Sank
Went down
Plunged
Plummeted

Prepositions

Between 1995 and 2000
From 1995 to 2000
Sales rose from 200 to 250
Sales fell to 150 in March
Sales fell by 50%

Adverbs and intensifiers

slightly
a little
a lot
sharply
suddenly
steeply
gradually
gently
steadily

No Movement: (Verbs with Adjectives, Verbs)

remained steady
were unchanged
did not change
remained constant
remained stable
stabilized

Tops and Bottoms

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

<Quizlet>

Chart Verbs and Adverbs.pdf

Adobe Acrobat Dokument 54.9 KB

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Chart Key Expressions.pdf

Adobe Acrobat Dokument 48.7 KB

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<Sample Description>

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

The busiest time of the day is in the morning. There is a sharp increase between 06:00 and 08:00, with 400 people using the station at 8 o’clock. After this the numbers drop quickly to less than 200 at 10 o’clock. Between 11 am and 3 pm the number rises, with a plateau of just under 300 people using the station.

In the afternoon, numbers decline, with less than 100 using the station at 4 pm. There is then a rapid rise to a peak of 380 at 6pm. After 7 pm, numbers fall significantly, with only a slight increase again at 8pm, tailing off after 9 pm.

Overall, the graph shows that the station is most crowded in the early morning and early evening periods.

Sample Chart Descriptions.pdf

Adobe Acrobat Dokument 1.7 MB

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