Graphs, Charts, Trends, Describing Changes

Types of Graphs and Charts

Label the Graphs and Charts using the words in the box. You will not need to use them all.

Bar Chart Pie Chart Histogram Line Chart Area Chart

Bubble Chart Radar Chart Waterfall Chart
Tree Map Scatter Plot Box Plot
Describing Change

We generally describe graphs and charts in several steps. We usually describe the movement and give a
reason for the movement.

Movement Change Why?

Upward: Speed  As a result of

 To climb  Due to
 To rise Rapid - Rapidly  Because of
 To go up Slow - Slowly  Was the reason for
 To improve Sudden - Suddenly  Caused
 To pick up Sharp - Sharply  Resulted in
 To recover Steady - Steadily
 Explains
 To increase Gradual - Gradually
 To reach a peak Fast - Quickly  Accounts for
Horizontal:  That is why
 To even out Amount  Consequently
 To remain stable  So
 To stabilize Noticeable - Noticeably  Thanks to
Downward: Substantial - Substantially
 To fall Considerable - Considerably
 To decline Slight - Slightly
 To bottom out Significant - Significantly
 To decrease Dramatic - Dramatically
 To drop Negligible - Negligibly
 To plummet
 To deteriorate
 To hit a low
 To slip back
 To do down

Examples
 Apple's sales increased significantly due to the launch of the iPhone 4.
 [verb + adverb construction]

 There was a significant increase in Apple's sales due to the launch of the iPhone 4.
 [adjective + noun (word) construction]

 Production started climbing steadily but flattened off at a level of around 70.
 Before leveling off around 70, there was a steady climb in production.
Describe the graphs
Write TWO sentences to describe each graph. Use a verb + adverb construction (A) and an adjective +
noun (word) construction (B). Try and use the word(s) in brackets when possible.

DROP / QUICK (PEAK)

A.

B.

GROW / RAPID (PLATEAU)

A.

B.

DROP / SLOW / STEADY

A.

B.

FALL / CONSIDERABLE (PARTIAL RECOVERY)

A.

B.

RISE / MARGINAL + DROP / SHARP

A.

B.
Example Description: Stock Market Ups and Downs

BlackBerry’s stock had its ups and downs during the early years and began rising in 2004 thanks to the
release of newer models with more functionalities. Stock prices began rising dramatically toward the end of
2006, dropped slightly, recovered and reached a peak in 2008 following the release of multiple models of
popular smartphones. Shortly after, stock prices plummeted and fluctuated until the end of 2011, before
gradually returning to pre-2004 prices.

BlackBerry was likely dethroned by the iPhone (released on June 29, 2007), and later lost again to Android-
based phones (released September 23, 2008).