PERCENTAGES

These words can be useful when talking about percentages and about segments of a pie chart:

per cent/percent (used after a number)

About seventy per cent of the population of Singapore is of Chinese ancestry.

percentage (used without numbers)

An important percentage of Canada's electricity is generated by hydroelectric power.

proportion

A larger proportion of the national budget is spent on the military than on anything else.

portion

The family spends a significant portion of their income on rent.

share

Two or three companies control a large share of the paper-product market.

segment

Only a small segment of the population agrees with this idea.

fraction

A tiny fraction of the total number of applicants to this university are accepted.

FRACTIONS

When writing about pie charts, you may also refer to fractions as well as percentages.

three quarters / 75 per cent / three out of four

a half / one half / 50 per cent / one out of two / one in two

a third / one third / one out of three / one in three

a quarter / 25 per cent / one out of four / one in four

a tenth / one tenth / 10 per cent / one out of ten / one in ten

You can combine these words with words such as about, around, approximately, just over, just under,
etc.

OTHER USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

account for

Rice accounts for about a third of their diet.

make up

Poisonous snakes make up only about ten per cent of all snakes.

represent

Accidents that occur when drivers are texting represent about a quarter of the total number of car
accidents.

constitute

Rental properties constitute about a third of all the company's assets.

NUMBERS AND AMOUNTS

a large proportion

Property taxes make up a large proportion of the city's income.

a major portion

A major portion of this country's economy is fuelled by oil exports.

a significant majority

A significant majority of the roads in this district are unpaved.

a large percentage

A large percentage of the cars in this country are made in Japan.

a tiny fraction

The journal can only publish a tiny fraction of the articles it receives.

a mere + number or per cent

A mere five per cent of the people in this country had cell phones in 1995.

a small minority

Just a small minority of people agree with this idea.

a small percentage

Only a small percentage of earthquakes cause major damage.

Linking Words

COMPARISON (SIMILARITIES)

likewise

The inflation rate in Japan was fairly low in 2010; likewise, the rate in Switzerland did not go up
much.

similarly
The money that the government spends on the arts represents only a tiny portion of the total
budget. Similarly, only a small amount is spent on social services.

LIKE, UNLIKE, ALIKE

Like the cost of shipping, the cost of packaging has gone up. Meat, like fish, contains a lot of protein.

Unlike some members of the European Union, the UK does not use the euro as its currency. The US,
unlike Japan, does not have a system of high-speed trains.

... and ... are alike (in that)

The health care industry and information technology are alike in that they are both adding new jobs.

CONTRAST (DIFFERENCE)

however

The number of male faculty members stayed the same. However, six new female faculty members
were hired.

on the other hand

The number of radio stations playing classical music declined; on the other hand, two new news
stations opened.

in contrast

In 2010, the average age in Japan was 44.6 years; in contrast, in Yemen, the average age was only
16.4 years.

whilst / while

Whilst the price of gold shot up in September, the price of silver remained about the same.

although

Although health care remained a significant portion of families' budget in 2005, it wasn't as high as in
2004.

whereas

The number of marriages declined during that period, whereas the number of divorces increased.

but

California had a dry winter, but there was a lot of snow in the Rocky Mountain states.

APPROXIMATION

around
The population grew by around a million people in that decade.

about

According to the chart, about 45%of all people surveyed believe in UFOs.

roughly

Roughly 300,000 units were manufactured in factory A in 2005.

approximately

Approximately 4,000 more people attended this year's parade.

almost

The vacancy rate for hotel rooms is almost zero in August.

nearly

Nearly 90% of people in the country agreed with this decision.

just over

Just over 2.5 billion people worldwide own digital cameras.

just under

This state has just under 300 days of sunshine a year.

DESCRIBING TRENDS

UP

rise (v) Production costs rose to their highest level of the year in July.

rise (n) There was a rise in production costs to the highest level of the year in July.

go up (v) Between 1900 and 2000, the population went up by over a million people.

grow (grew, grown) (v) The number of first-time users grew rapidly in 2015.

growth (n) There was a rapid growth in the number of first-time users in 2015.

increase (v) The numbers of cyclists increased between 2005 and 2010.

increase (n) There was an increase in the number of cyclists between 2005 and 2010.

DOWN

decline (v) The construction of new homes declined for ten years in succession.

decline (n) There was a decline in the number of new homes for ten years in succession.

go down (v) After a brief rise, imports went down again.

decrease (v) Average test scores decreased at three of the schools.

decrease (n) There was a decrease in test scores at three of the schools.

drop (v) In 2008, foreign investment dropped by over 20%.

drop (n) In 2008, there was a drop in foreign investment of over 20%.

fall (fell, fallen) (v) The number of overseas students fell in 2013.

fall (n) There was a fall in the number of international students in 2013.

SAME

stay the same

The company's market share stayed the same.

remain constant

For three months, the percentage remained constant.

UP AND DOWN

fluctuate (v) The number of seasonal workers employed by the company fluctuates each year
fluctuation (n) There have been fluctuations in the number of seasonal workers employed by the
company.

go up and down (v) Fares have gone up and down over the last few months.

ADVERBS AND ADJECTIVES

UP OR DOWN QUICKLY

rapidly (adv) The number of smartphones in use has risen rapidly over the last ten years.

rapid (adj) In this decade, there was a rapid increase in smartphone use.

suddenly (adv) Employment figures dropped suddenly during the following ten years.

sudden (adj) The next decade saw a sudden decrease in employment figures.

sharply (adv) The price of textbooks rose sharply.

sharp (adj) There was a sharp rise in the price of textbooks.

dramatically (adv) Exports fell dramatically last year.

dramatic (adj) There was a dramatic fall in exports last year.

significantly (adv) Property taxes rose significantly in 2014.

significant (adj) There was a significant rise in property taxes in 2014.

steeply (adv) The number of people attending the event increased steeply in 2013.

steep (adj) The year 2013 saw a steep increase in the number of people attending the event.
major (adj) A major expansion of the company's marketing department is expected in the next few
years.

UP OR DOWN MORE SLOWLY

steadily (adv) The number of tourists visiting the park rose steadily.

steady (adj) The park experienced a steady increase in the number of tourists.

gradually (adv) The population of the province gradually declined.

gradual (adj) There was a gradual decline in the population of the province.

slightly (adv) Bus fares may go up slightly.

slight (adj) A slight increase in bus fares is expected.

minor (adj) There were minor fluctuations in the value of raw materials.

WRITING TASKS