With few exceptions, the graphic information will come in one of five forms –

• line graph• bar graph• pie chart• table• diagram

These will be illustrating information contained in your research paper.

Describing Graphic Information or a Process in Language Appropriate to Report Writing.

Western Participants Residence

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Australia and NZAustralia and NZ 25%25%

North America North America 25%25%

Britain Britain 23%23%

Germany Germany 10%10%

Sweden Sweden 8%8%

Other EuropeanOther European 9%9%

(Masters 2008)

Asian Participants Country Residence

Malaysia

Japan

Thailand

China inc Hong Kong

South Korea

SingaporeTaiwan

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

(Masters 2008)

Geert Hofstede™ Cultural Dimensions

                                                                                                              

 

                                                                                                              

Selecting Information

Important: • Describe the whole graph fully

• Does not mean note every detail

• Do not include too much information

• Summarise by dividing into its main parts

• Describe the trends

Task one: single line graph

Describing Trends

Expressing Movement: Nouns and Verbs

For each trend there are a number of verbs and nouns to express the movement.

• Use a verb of change, for example:

•Unemployment levels fell

•Or we can use a related noun, for example:

•There was a fall in unemployment levels

Describing the Movement: Adjectives and Adverbs

Giving more information about a trend:

•There has been a slight increase in the value of the dollar(degree of change)

•Unemployment fell rapidly last year (the speed of change)

**Remember:

•We modify a noun with an adjective (a slight increase)

and

• A verb with an adverb (to increase slightly).

Describing the Degree of Change

Describing the Speed of Change

Expressing Approximation

Describe the information period by period

•Graph gives the information in five year sections

•¨first, a gradual increase from 1960 to 1968•¨second, a steeper increase from 1968 to 1977•¨third, a plateau from 1977 to 1983•¨fourth, a drop from 1983 to 1988

Sample Task

Bar Graphs

When describing some bar graphs you will sometimes use

the same language as the line graphs. This will be the case if

one axis of the bar graph gives a time scale.

Example 1

In some cases, however, it will not be appropriate to

describe the bar graphs in terms of time and different

language will need to be used.

Example 2

In this graph of Electro Inc’s television sales between 1996 and

1999, we can see that purchases of televisions went up in 1996 and

continued to rise steadily until 1998 when they dropped slightly.

Someland was the most popular destination for holiday makers from Indonesia with about one million, followed by Japan which attracted approximately eight hundred thousand holiday makers

Comparing and ContrastingComparing and Contrasting

Adjectives - One syllable

cheap cheap cheaper cheaper cheapestcheapest

large large larger larger largestlargest

bright bright brighter brighter brightestbrightest

Exceptions: good good better better bestbest

bad bad worse worse worstworst

Two syllables

pretty pretty prettier prettier prettiestprettiesthappy happy happier happier happiesthappiest

Some comparatives and superlatives:

striking striking more striking more striking most strikingmost striking

clever clever more clever / cleverer more clever / cleverer most clever /cleverestmost clever /cleverest

Three or more syllables

attractive attractive more attractivemore attractive most attractive most attractive

profitable profitable more profitable more profitable most profitable most profitable

expensive expensive more expensive most expensivemore expensive most expensive