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Different perspectives
We can either describe a tendency by
looking at the difference between two
levels or by looking at the results.
Describing the difference:
> This year turnover has increased by 3
per cent (The difference between this
year and last year is 3 per cent).
> There has been an increase in turnover
of 3 percent.
> In the second column of the table you
can see the figures of ...
Basic trends
The three basic trends are the upward
movement, the downward movement
and the continuing trend. For each trend
there are a number of verbs and nouns
to express the movement:
Vocabulary
slide
overhead foil/
transparency
drawing
table
the least
fl ow chart
pie chart
bar chart
whichever
solid/broken/
dotted line
bar
curve
column
to increase
boom
to pick up
to decline
to slump/plummet
downturn
to bottom out
all-time low
Dia/Folie
Folie
Skizze/Zeichnung
Tabelle
am wenigsten
Flussdiagramm
Kreisdiagramm
Balkendiagramm
welche auch immer
durchgehende/gestrichelte/punktierte
Linie
Balken
Kurve
Spalte
zunehmen
Boom, Aufschwung
sich erholen
zurückgehen
drastisch zurückgehen
Rückgang
tiefsten Stand erreichen
absoluter Tiefstand
Upward trend:
> The number of … has increased/
grown/ gone up/risen/climbed.
> Prices have risen since…
> The markt is booming.
> The Market has picked up/recovered.
> Sales reached a peak in 2004.
> Production reached an all-time high.
Downward trend:
> Profits have decreased/declined/gone
down/dropped/fallen.
> Sales have slumped/plummeted.
> There has been a downturn in
production.
> Prices bottomed out.
> The DAX reached/hit an all-time low.
> There was a sudden collapse in prices.
Continuing trend:
> Our sales figures have remained
steady/stable.
> Prices have remained unchanged
over the past several years.
> Profits have held firm/remained
constant for two years.
> The costs have stabilised.
> We have kept our costs at the same
level.
Warning! Common Mistake!
Do not use the word up after increase,
raise and rise. Do not use down after
fall, drop and decrease.
Describing the end point:
> This year turnover has risen to € 5m.
> This year there has been a rise in
turnover to € 5m.
Describing the speed and the
degree of change
If we want to be more precise about development,
we can do this with the help
of adjectives (to modify a noun) or adverbs
(to modify a verb). Here is a list of
words most commonly used to express
the speed of change:
> Slow(ly), gradual(ly), swift(ly) and
rapid(ly).
And the following are used to express
the degree of change:
> Slight(ly), moderate(ly),
significant(ly), considerable/
considerably, dramatical(ly).
Mind your tenses!
Remember that when you want to describe
a movement taking place at this
moment, the use of the present continuous
is required, e.g.
Labour costs are increasing.
When describing changes up to now,
we use the present perfect, e.g.
Labour costs have increased ever since
the Second World War.
Pointing back to a specific moment in
the past, we use the simple past tense:
In the 1970s, labour costs rose substantially
If you want to make a forecast about the
future, the use of the verb ”will” is appropriate,
e.g.
Labour costs will continue to rise.
S. 70 SWOT-Analyse, S. 71 Kreuzworträtsel
ProFirma 07/08 2010
69