Reports and presentations often describe figures and trends: sales, costs, market share. You need verbs of change, adjectives and adverbs of degree, and the right prepositions.
| Up ↗ | Down ↘ | Other |
|---|---|---|
| rise (rose, risen) – a rise | fall (fell, fallen) – a fall | stay the same / remain stable |
| increase – an increase | decrease – a decrease | level off – reach a peak (atteindre un maximum) |
| go up – improve – an improvement | go down – drop – a drop | recover – a recovery (reprise) |
| Adjective (+ noun) | Adverb (+ verb) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a dramatic rise | rose dramatically | Sudden and very large |
| a sharp fall | fell sharply | Sudden and large |
| a steady increase | increased steadily | Regular |
| a slight decrease | decreased slightly | Very small |
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Use the past simple for finished periods (« Last year our market share fell by 1 % ») and link causes and effects: because of, due to, as a result, so, but, however, on the other hand. « Our market share fell by 1 %, but on the other hand our turnover increased by 8 %. »
Market share, 2019 – 2024: 2019: 12 % ; 2020: 18 % ; 2021: 14 % ; 2022: 15 % ; 2023: 17 % ; 2024: 19 %.
« We had a dramatic increase in market share in 2020, followed by a sharp fall in 2021, when we sold a brand. But a successful new brand launched in 2022 meant there was a slight recovery that year, and a steady increase in 2023 and 2024. »
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a) Give the nouns: to rise, to fall, to increase, to decrease, to improve, to recover. b) Give the adverbs: slight, sharp, dramatic, steady.
a) a rise, a fall, an increase, a decrease, an improvement, a recovery. b) slightly, sharply, dramatically, steadily.
Write one sentence for each: turnover + 8 % ; distribution costs + 18 % ; number of new contracts − 6 % ; spending on training + 15 % ; customer complaints − 20 %.
Our turnover increased by 8 %. Distribution costs rose sharply, by 18 %. The number of new contracts fell slightly, by 6 %. Spending on training went up by 15 %. Customer complaints decreased dramatically, by 20 %.
Write a short report (4-5 sentences): ATLAS SHOES' sales were 40 million DH in 2022, 46 million in 2023 (new shop in Rabat) and 44 million in 2024 (strong competition) ; the company plans to open an online shop in 2025.
« In 2023, ATLAS SHOES' sales rose sharply from 40 to 46 million dirhams, an increase of 15 %, thanks to the new shop in Rabat. However, in 2024 sales fell slightly to 44 million dirhams because of strong competition. To recover, the company is going to open an online shop in 2025. We expect sales to increase steadily next year. »
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