Vocabulary for Describing Trends
| Word | Part of Speech | Example Sentences |
| increase | verb: to increase, is increasing, has increased, increased noun: an increase of $5,554m an increase in spending of $5,554m |
Total expenditure increased from $33,611m to $39,165m from 1995 to 1996. From 1995 to 1996 there was an increase in expenditure of $5,554m. |
| decrease | verb: to decrease, is decreasing, has decreased, decreased noun: a decrease of 0.7% a decrease in spending of 0.7% |
Expenditure on primary education decreased from 22.2% to 21.5% from 1995 to 1996. From 1995 to 1996 there was a decrease in expenditure of 0.7%. |
| rise | verb: to rise, is rising, has risen, rose noun: a rise of $5,554m a rise in spending of $5,554m |
Total expenditure rose from $33,611m to $39,165m from 1995 to 1996. From 1995 to 1996 there was a rise in expenditure of $5,554m. |
| fall | verb: to fall, is falling, has fallen, fell noun: a fall of 0.7% a fall in spending of 0.7% |
Expenditure on primary education fell from 22.2% to 21.5% from 1995 to 1996. From 1995 to 1996 there was a fall in expenditure of 0.7%. |
| drop | verb: to drop, is dropping, has dropped, dropped noun: a drop of 0.7% a drop in spending of 0.7% |
Expenditure on primary education dropped from 22.2% to 21.5% from 1995 to 1996. From 1995 to 1996 there was a drop in expenditure of 0.7%. |
| to be financed by | verb: to be financed by, is financed by, has been financed by, was financed by meaning: to be paid for (e.g. money is transferred from one budget to another) |
The increase in spending in this sector was financed by decreases in other sectors. |
| _ing forms | After an introductory clause that includes some analysis; e.g. ‘Spending rose in all three years’, an ‘_ing’ form can be used to describe numbers and dates. | Spending rose in all three years, increasing from 17.6% to 18% from 1995 to 1996, and then rising again to 18.2% in 1997-8. |
Expenditure on Education in Hong Kong 1995 to 1998
| Breakdown of spending | 1995-6 | 1996-7 | 1997-8 |
| Total expenditure ($ million) | 33,611 | 39,165 | 45,315 |
| As % of government budget | 17.6% | 18% | 18.2% |
| % spent onprimary educationsecondary educationtertiary education | 22.2% 33.7% 35.9% . |
21.5% 33.2% 36.7% . |
21.6% 33.5% 35.9% . |
Source: Hong Kong 1998. Hong Kong: Government Printer
Trend Graphics
The students will describe the graphic assigned to that student to the other students.
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