ULIS-VNU

Line Graph
A. Introduction
General Structure (Introduction): The line graph shows / indicates / illustrates / reveals / represents
/ compares + topic + circumstances (timescale + measurement + location). Units are measured in …
Replace “the line graph” with the visualization or the illustration
1. The y-axes/axis indicate(s) …
The x-axes/axis illustrate(s) …
Question: The graphs below show the number of visitors to two cities in a given year. Summarize the
information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparison where relevant.
→ These two bar charts illustrate the quantity of tourists to a couple of metropolitan areas, Seattle
and Niagara Falls. The y-axes indicate the number of visitors with intervals of half a million. The x-
axes show the months of the year from January to December.
2. The variations/ fluctuations/ changes/ differences in … during … can be summarized as
follows.
Question: The line graph below shows the evolution of GDP per capita in different countries from
1960 to 2014.
 The changes in individual income levels during the period from 1960 to 2014 in nine countries can
be summarized as follows. Units are measured in thousand dollars.
3. Estimates of … can be presented as follows/ are plotted in the (following) visualization.
 Statistics for st (have figures)
 Statistics on
 Data for
 Data on
→ Estimates of per capita incomes in distinct countries over a course of 54 years can be presented
as follows/ are plotted in the (following) visualization.
4. The line graph illustrates how something/somebody + (Verb)

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Question: The graph below shows the changes in the percentage of tourists visiting two countries over
a 50-year period.
 The line graph illustrates how tourism to two distinct nations changed over a five-decade time
frame.
5. The line graph/visualization compares S1 on the basis of/ in terms of/ regarding/ correlating/
concerning S2.
S1: owner
S2: comparisons
E.g.: The graph below shows the proportion of the population aged 65 and over between 1940 and
2040 in three different countries.
Step 1: Reverse the word order using the same vocabulary:
•The graph compares three different countries in terms of the proportion of the population aged 65 and
over between 1940 and 2040.
Step 2: Paraphrase
•The line graph/ visualization compares three distinct nations in terms of the rate of citizens aged 65
plus within a period of 100 years from 1940 to 2040.
II. Overview
 Diversify:
 Put any parts of the sentence into the subject: an increase/decrease >< figures >< time ><
location >< owner

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 Passive + active (flexibly)

 Cleft sentence
 There
 Language
 Increase: ascend, gain popularity/ favor, increase with a(n) steep/ exponential gradient, climb,
grow lift (transitive), on a(n) (rapid) upward trajectory/ streak, migrate higher, challenge sb,
elevate, skyrocket, rise, upturn, surge, soar, escalate, accelerate, jump, boom, leap, mushroom,
explode, spike, forge ahead, edge ahead, angle upwards, show elements of recovery, recover,
catch up; double, treble, triple, quadruple; four-fold; twice - three times → more than double/
nearly double
 Decrease: long-lived/ welcome decrease, descend, succumb to the inevitable/st, decline,
withdraw, go down, reduce, diminish, go down to st’s original level/figure, withdraw, migrate
lower, deteriorate, dwindle, angle downwards, suffer a (painful) reversal of fortune(s), decrease

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with a(n) steep/ exponential gradient, nosedive = dive = plummet = plunge, halve (transitive),
slip back, dip, short-lived drop
 Fluctuate: vary, chart an erratic course, plot an unsettled path, volatility; wide/ jagged
fluctuations, wild fluctuations, major fluctuations, small/ minor fluctuations
 Stabilize: level off; level out, remain stable, stay constant/uniform, reach a plateau, remain
static, stay sustained, stagnant (economics, business), maintain unchanged, stabilize

 Dominate >< Also-ran: lead the field; dominate the field; lap the field, overtake the field, best-
performer, bestseller, most financially successful, best-liked, all-time favorite, most lucrative,
climb to the top spot, number-one bakery, a top-notch company; be second to none, most
widely-enjoyed, most widely spoken, (sporting) powerhouse, superpower … >< A is dwarfed/
B // A is thwarted by B
 Peak:
 N reached an all-time high of … in/at/on … = N hit the highest point at … in/at/on
 N reached a peak of … in/at/on … = N peaked at … in/at/on …

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 Reach the highest rung

 Reach a maximum of
 Reach a summit, top, crest, pinnacle, apex, crown in + time
 Trough:
 N reached a trough = N sank to a trough
 N fell to a low(est) point = N hit the lowest point
 N reached a low(est) point (at) = N reached an all-time low of … in/at/on …
 Reach the lowest rung
 Reach a minimum of
 Similar Trends
 To V on a trajectory similar to the path charted by st
 Mimic the … path/course/ trajectory charted/ plotted by st, in reduced/ increased proportions
 Witness similar upward/ downward trends
 Follow similar (repeated/ set) patterns
 St’s profile bears/shows some/ striking resemblance, but proportionally much smaller/ higher,
with /at + data
 A similar gain/ increase/ decrease was seen/ notice in …
 Opposite Trends
 Suffer mixed fortunes
 Suffer a dramatic/ sudden/ complete/ painful reversal of fortune(s)
 Follow an opposite trend
 St’s profile is an approximate mirror image of st
 St’s popularity/ value … surges/ soars at the expense of …
 St’s pattern is the exact/ complete/ total/ precise/ direct/ polar opposite of st
 St’s (sawtooth) outline contrasts with the (smooth) contours of B
 Identical/ Similar Data
 Both … shoulder almost equal burdens/ costs/ duties/ responsibilities

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 Coincidentally have the same previously-mentioned proportions

 Followed very closely by …
 Come respectably very close to …
 St is just ahead of B
 The rates/ proportions are comparable
 Verbs
 Register
 Witness
 See
 Notice
 Represent
 Achieve
 Undergo
 Go through
 Show signs of
 Chart
 Suffer
 Reach / fall
 Hit
 Record
 Experience
 Display some elements of
 Higher / Lower Data
 Fare (much) better
 Lag (far) behind
 Fall (far) behind
 Score very highly in the popularity ratings

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 Humbler figures
 More successful than
 Be more popular than
 Gain higher favor
 Win more popularity
 Achieve greater success
 Subjects
 Humble(r) competitors/ rivals
 Other …
 Others
 Counterpart(s)
 Physical means
 The former
 The latter
 Superpower / powerhouse
 Best-performer → second-placed A
 The competition / the opposition
 Developing countries / third-world nations/ undeveloped economies
 Industrialized countries/ developed nations/ affluent areas
 Rural areas/ the country/ the countryside / bucolic areas/ pastoral areas
 Urban areas/ city areas/ metropolitan areas/ metropolises

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Graph 1

 Looking first as a whole, while Dandenong witnessed an upward trend in its profit figures,
Noble Park suffered a noticeable reversal of fortune. Meanwhile, Geelong charted an erratic

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course, fluctuating jaggedly between its competitors, and with its sawtooth outline contrasting
with the smooth contours of the others. Besides, initially outperformed by Noble Park,
Dandenong then/ subsequently/ ultimately/ eventually managed to surpass this rival to lap
the field, generating increasingly higher earnings over the period and becoming, by far, the
most lucrative club.
 OR Besides, apart from a short initial interval, Dandenong was clearly more financially
successful than its two rivals, and generated increasingly higher earnings over the period,
making this establishment, by far, the most lucrative.
Graph 2

 Overall, more cameras were installed over the period with undoubtedly, correspondingly
higher revenues. However, road safety in Melbourne disappointingly decreased, as there were
more accidents and higher degree of lethality on the roads.

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 Looking as a whole, these photographic devices were installed with increasing zeal and,
undoubtedly, correspondingly higher revenues. However, this had no correlation
whatsoever with the prevalence of accidents, which, with utter indifference, only worsened.
Additionally, the degree of lethality on the roads remained significant and likewise unaffected
throughout. Cynically, only blatant revenue-raising under the hypocritical stance of
enhancing safety is seen in the graph, which is clearly contradicted by the data.
Graph 3

 The changes in the usage of four different means of transportation for weekend events in
Melbourne can be described/ summarized as follows. The horizontal axis illustrates the
chronological timeline with intervals of 30 years from 1950 to 2010.

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 Generally speaking, all physical means of transport, including buses declined considerably
in the popularity ratings, save for cars, which increasingly gained more favor at the expense
of the others, and 60 years later people in Melbourne often moved around in cars for
recreational purposes. Additionally, the year 1980 saw a convergence of all forms to an
approximately even distribution, although extrapolating ahead, the gulf between cars and
other transportation will probably widen, confirming an over-reliance on machines, in lieu of
exercise/ confirming the well-documented rise of automobile in modern times.
Graph 4

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 Compared in the given visualization is the unemployment rates between Australian city areas
and country in 2012. The x-axis shows the quarterly timeline. The y-axis indicates the figures
in percentage.
 Generally speaking, fewer city/urban dwellers were unemployed than their rural
counterparts. Another thing to notice is that the gulf between two sectors decreased over the
period, which eventually resulted in both regions shouldering almost equal burdens, and
illustrated a sustained shift of opportunities towards the rural areas.
 OR The main message is that the countryside experienced greater joblessness than the cities;
however, the prospects of finding work improved in the former, while deteriorating in the
latter, eventually resulted in both regions shouldering almost almost equal burdens, and
illustrated a sustained shift of opportunities towards the rural sector.

Diu Nghiem – Lecturer – ULIS-VNU - November 2018