Business English: How to Describe Graphs and Trends in English

Summary

In this video, the presenter explains how to effectively describe trends in graphs, focusing on key language tools like verb-adverb and adjective-noun collocations, prepositions, and numbers. Through the example of a fictional company, Shine Limited, the business analyst details the company's fluctuating sales over a year, covering increases, decreases, peaks, and troughs. Viewers learn various ways to describe these changes using terms like 'rocket', 'plummet', and 'level off'. The video also covers the proper use of prepositions like 'from', 'to', 'by', and 'at' to describe trends accurately, providing viewers with essential language tools for analyzing graphs.

Takeaways

• 😀 Describing trends in graphs can be simplified by using the right expressions and rules.
• 😀 Business analysts often use a combination of verb-adverb and adjective-noun collocations to describe trends.
• 😀 Common verbs like 'increase' and 'decrease' have alternatives like 'rise', 'ascend', 'fall', 'drop', etc.
• 😀 Verbs can be intensified with adverbs to specify whether trends rose or fell slowly or rapidly.
• 😀 Adjective-noun collocations can be formed by converting the adverb into an adjective and the verb into a noun (e.g., 'steep fall' from 'fell steeply').
• 😀 Sales figures can be described in terms of 'gradual', 'sharp', 'steady', or 'considerable' changes.
• 😀 There are various ways to describe fluctuations, such as using 'fluctuated', 'undulated', or 'went up unsteadily'.
• 😀 Prepositions like 'from', 'to', 'by', 'at', and 'of' are key to accurately describing movements and quantities in graphs.
• 😀 'From' and 'to' indicate direction (e.g., 'increase from 2 million to 5 million').
• 😀 'By' describes the difference in values (e.g., 'increase by 3 million').

Q & A

What is the main focus of this video script?

The main focus of the video script is to help viewers understand how to describe trends in graphs using various collocations, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, and prepositions.

What example does the business analyst use to explain graph trends?

The business analyst uses the sales data of Shine Limited for the year 2011, which shows various ups and downs, peaks, and troughs in their sales performance.

What verbs does the business analyst use to describe changes in sales?

The business analyst uses verbs like 'increase', 'decrease', 'rise', 'fall', 'ascend', 'decline', and more specific verbs like 'rocket' for a quick rise and 'plummet' for a dramatic drop.

Why are adverbs important when describing trends in graphs?

Adverbs are important because they provide additional detail about how quickly or slowly the figures have changed, helping to convey the rate and pattern of the change (e.g., steadily, rapidly, slowly).

How can adverbs and verbs be transformed for clearer descriptions?

Adverbs can be turned into adjectives, and verbs can be transformed into nouns. For example, 'sales fell deeply' becomes 'a steep fall in sales,' and 'sales increased rapidly' becomes 'a rapid increase in sales.'

What prepositions are used to describe trends in graphs?

The most important prepositions are 'from', 'to', 'by', 'at', and 'of'. These are used to describe direction, quantity, and specific points in the graph (e.g., 'from 2 million to 5 million', 'increase by 3 million').

How does the business analyst describe a small rise in sales in January?

The business analyst describes the rise in sales in January as a 'gradual rise,' noting that sales increased from zero to just under 2,000.

What is the significance of using words like 'rocket' and 'plummet' in graph descriptions?

The words 'rocket' and 'plummet' are used to describe sharp and rapid changes in sales, with 'rocket' indicating a quick increase and 'plummet' indicating a dramatic drop.

How do prepositions 'from' and 'to' function in describing trends?

The prepositions 'from' and 'to' are used to indicate the starting and ending points of a change. For example, 'an increase from 2 million to 5 million' shows the direction of change.

What is the importance of using the term 'fluctuated' in graph descriptions?

The term 'fluctuated' is used to describe sales that went up and down erratically, highlighting inconsistency and instability in the trend over time.