Describing Trends in Graphs

an upward trend
(a rising trend)
GO UP -
GROW GROWTH
RISE RISE
INCREASE  INCREASE
IMPROVE IMPROVEMENT
- UPTURN
SOAR  -
JUMP  JUMP
(SKY)ROCKET -
SURGE SURGE 
- UPSURGE
TAKE OFF TAKEOFF
SHOOT UP -
LEAP LEAP
PEAK/REACH A PEAK PEAK

TOP OUT -
a downward trend
(a falling trend)
DECREASE DECREASE
GO DOWN -
DECLINE  DECLINE
DROP DROP 
FALL (OFF) FALL
SLIP SLIP
- DOWNTURN
SLIDE SLIDE
DIP DIP
PLUNGE  PLUNGE
PLUMMET  PLUMMET
NOSEDIVE  NOSEDIVE
SLUMP SLUMP
CRASH CRASH
SINK -
 ECONOMICS IS FLYING (AIR)

•PLUMMET
•COLLISION
•TURBULENCE
•NOSEDIVE
•FREE-FALL
•SPIRAL
•LANDING
•GO THROUGH THE ROOF
“When interest rates went through
the roof, so did Mr Macdonald!”
 ECONOMICS IS DIVING (WATER)

•PLUNGE
•FLOAT
•DIP
•DIVE
•SINK
ECONOMICS IS RELATED TO THE GROUND

•TUMBLE
•JUMP
•TOPPLE
•SLIDE
•SLIP
•WOBBLE
•STAGGER
•STUMBLE
Change of direction

to recover
to rebound
to revive
 NO CHANGE

•to remain stable

•to level off/out
•to stay at the same level
•to remain constant
•to stagnate
•to stabilize
a dramatic fall
a substantial increase
 Peaks and troughs
• If a figure rises to a level and then stops
rising, remaining at that level, it levels
off/out and remains steady or stable.stable
• If a figure reaches its highest level – a
peak – and then goes down, it peaks at
that level.
• If it reaches its lowest level – a trough –
and then bottoms out, out it falls to that level
and then starts rising again.
 Boom and bust
• A boom is when there is rising demand, and other
indicators are strong.
• Stagnation is when the economy is growing
slowly, or not at all.
• Stagflation is when slow growth is combined with
prices that are increasing fast.
• Recession is a period when there is negative
growth,
growth a period when the economy is producing
less. A slump is a very bad recession. A
depression is a very bad slump.
Adjectives can be used to describe the degree or speed of
change. Do you know the corresponding adverbs ?
 

A dramatic fall dramatically

to fall …………………
An abrupt rise to rise ………………..
abruptly
A sudden decline to decline ………………
suddenly
A moderate growth to grow ………………
moderately
A slight increase to increase ……………..
slightly
A rapid drop to drop …………………
rapidly
A gradual decline to decline ……………
gradually
A steady recovery to recover ……………
steadily
Erratic sales to sell …………………..
erratically
A constant levelling off to level off ………………
constantly
 Choose the correct verbs and try to connect them with appropriate graphs
according to the type of change they describe:

SLUMP 5 RISE 2 RECOVER 6 PLUNGE 5

PICK UP 6 PLUMMET 5 DROP 4 SOAR 1
BOUNCE BACK 6 TAKE OFF 1 CLIMB 2
RALLY 6 FLUCTUATE 7 FALL 4 CRASH 5
HOLD STEADY 3 FLATTEN OUT 3 SLIDE 4
ESCALATE 1 DECLINE 4 ROCKET 1 DIP 4
 1
Production started climbing steadily but
flattened off at a level of around 70. Since
then, it has fallen steadily.
 2
Production grew more and more rapidly
over the first three quarters but then
reached a peak. Since then, it has quickly
dropped.
 3
Production grew rapidly in the first
quarter, but reached a plateau of about
70. Since then it has remained more or
less stable.
 4
Production has dropped slowly but
steadily over the year.
 5
Production started the year in a stable
position, but then plunged in the third
quarter. It has now flattened out at a level
of 20.
 6
Production fell considerably over the first
three quarters, bottoming out at 20. Since
then it has staged a partial recovery.
 7
Production has fluctuated all year.
 8
Production started off steady, but fell
sharply in the last quarter.
 9
Production showed a marginal rise in the
first three quarters, but then suffered a sharp
drop.
 DRAW GRAPHS USING THE FOLLOWING
INFORMATION:

• After a three-year period of stability, the level of

investment soared.
• Since the late 1990s, immigration has been rising in
most OECD countries. This followed a sharp
downturn from the start of the decade.
• After a sharp rise, sales levelled off during the period
September-November, when they plunged again at
the end of the year.
• Sales crashed last week following a slight rise.
• Despite a rise in May the situation worsened again in
June and prices slumped once more to another all-
time low at the end of July.
• At the end of June, sales stood at $ 76m, having
fallen from a previous all-time high of $136m in May.
 Suggested video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0Mr-
O9AGmw