Describing Accounting Trends with Precision: Powerful Adverbs and Verbs (Business English)

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What are Trends?

Trends can be upwards.
Trends can be downwards.
Trends can be sideways (flat.)
Trends can show the overall direction of a stock market or an asset’s price.
Trends can occur in data, such as when monthly financial data goes upwards and downwards from month to month.

Adverbs used to describe upward and downward trends

Sharply.
Rapidly.
Quickly
Dramatically.
Steeply.
Suddenly.
Substantially.
Considerably.
Significantly.
Gradually.
Moderately.
Steadily.
Slightly.
Slowly.

To help your understanding, download your cheat sheet to get a copy of the Trends Intensity Diagram.

Use this Diagram to assess the degree of adverb intensity. For example, the higher the arrow then, the greater the power of the adverb.

The Trends Intensity Diagram can be used for upwards and downwards trends.

Explaining and understanding trends is a common occurrence in the Accounting and Finance Office. It’s, therefore, very beneficial to have the Trends Intensity Diagram to help enhance listening and speaking skills.

Verbs to describe Upward Trends (past and present tense)

Grow – Grew.
Climb – Climbed.
Rocket – Rocketed.
Increase – Increased.
Jump – Jumped.
Go up – Went up.
Rise – Rose.

Let’s apply the Verbs and Adverbs learnt to Upward Trend Phrases (examples)

To help your understanding further, download your cheat sheet to get a copy of the Trends Intensity Diagram.

“Sales increased slightly in Autumn.”
(Note: The word ‘slightly’ is at a low level on the Trends Intensity Diagram.)

“Our sales rose significantly once our only competitor became bankrupt.”
(Note: The word ‘significantly’ is at a medium to high level on the Trends Intensity Diagram.)

“Company Profits rocketed dramatically in 2015 by 40%”
(Note: The word ‘dramatically’ is at the highest level on the Trends Intensity Diagram.)

“The shares steadily climbed and a year later the company started to grow substantially.”
(Note: The word ‘steadily’ is at a lower level on the Trends Intensity Diagram. The word ‘substantially’ is at the medium to higher level.)

Verbs to describe Downward Trends (past and present tense)

Go down – Went down.
Plummet – Plummeted.
Decrease – Decreased.
Drop – Dropped.
Fall – Fell.
Plunge – Plunged.
Decline – Declined.

Let’s apply the Verbs and Adverbs learnt to Downward Trend Phrases (examples)

“The share value in the company suddenly plummeted sending shock waves to Shareholders.”
(Note: The word ‘suddenly’ is at the highest end of the Trends Intensity Diagram. So, the share price goes downwards very quickly!)

“The number of enrolments decreased gradually between 2010 and 2015.”
(Note: The word ‘gradually’ is at the lower to middle end of the Trends Intensity Diagram. So, the number of enrolments goes down at a relatively slow pace.)

“Prices went down by 15%”
(Note: There are no adverbs but only verbs.)

“Increased labour costs have caused profits to drop considerably.”
(Note: The word ‘considerably’ is at the higher end of the Trends Intensity Diagram. So, the labour costs go down relatively quickly.”

Verbs to describe Stable Trends (Past and present tense)

Remain – Remained.
Stay – Stayed.
Maintain – Maintained.
Unchanged.
Constant.
Steady.
Stable.

LESSON END.