Language Focus For Task 1 in IELTS
1 Quantities Amount Quantity Figure The majority The maximum The minimum Number
Amount + uncountable noun the amount of something The amo amo unt of tax you pay depends on how much you earn.
a small/tiny amount The water here contains small amounts of calcium and other minerals.
a large/an enormous/a considerable amount He knows an enormous amount about Italian paintings.
!
The whole amount / the full amount / the total amount / the greatest amount
Quantity us e this, especial especially ly in written description s or instru ction s, t o t a l k ab a b o u t a m o u n t s o f f o o d , l iq i q u i d , o r o t h e r s u b s t an an c e s that can be m ea easu su red
quantity of Make sure that you add the correct quantity of water. Use equal quantities of flour and butter.
a large/small/enormous etc quantity An enormous quantity of chemical waste has been dumped in the river.
in large/small quantities Expensive spices, like saffron, are only produced in small quantities. !
The total quantity
Figure refers to the actual number itself, not the thing that the number refers to
While the number of Internet users was only 2.6 million in 1990 , this figure has more than doubled in the last 3 year
The majority more than half of the people or things in a large group A poll of Democrats shows that a majority support the President.
the/a majority of In June the majority of our students will be taking examinations. They claim their campaign is supported by a majority of residents.
the vast/great/overwhelming majority
(=far more
than half) The great majority of accidents in the Alps occur while climbers are coming down. an education policy that will please the vast majority of parents
The maximum the maximum num ber or amo unt is the largest num ber or amo unt th at is po ssible, norm al, or allowed
After leaving Calais, the train soon reaches its m a x i m u m s p e ed of 300 kph. Forty is t h e m a x im u m n u m b e r o f p a s s en g e r s this bus is allowed to carry. Ditikins faces a maxim um sentence of 15 years in prison.
the maximum You don't have to wait long for a new passport - 3 weeks is about t h e m a x i m u m .
a maximum of £10/50%/30 degrees etc Individuals may donate a maxim um of $1000 to the campaign.
The minimum the smallest pos sible num ber or amo unt of som ething or the sm allest nu mb er or amo unt that is allow ed
The minimum salary for this post is $25,000. We need a minimum number of two staff members on duty at lunchtime.
minimum height/length/age/wage etc These workers are being paid less than t h e m i n i m u m w a g e. T h e m i n i m u m a g e at which you can legally buy
tobacco is 18.
reduce/keep something to a minimum (=make the amount or number of something as small as possible) Interruptions should be kept t o a m i n i m u m . The library book stock has already been reduced to a minimum
Number a growing number/an increasing number of Hong Kong was having to provide for a growing number of refugees. an ever-increasing/ever-growing number of (=a number that is increasing all the time) The islanders are trying to protect their environment from the ever-increasing number of Australian tourists. in growing/increasing numbers "Suite" hotels -- with full kitchens and sitting rooms -are dotting the roadside in increasing numbers.
A number of Ns V The number of Ns Vs
Warning ! All of population
F
All of the population
The whole of energy
F
The whole of the energy T
All + Ns V All + UCN Vs Most + Ns V Most + UCN Vs
A lot of + Ns / UCN A great deal of + UCN
T
Other measurements 1 range rate level degree extent scale proportion ratio percent percentage
Other measurements 2 length weight distance height altitude area volume size frequency duration
Range if pric es, levels, tem peratures etc range f r o m o n e am o u n t t o a n o t h e r am o u n t , t h e y i n c l u d e b o t h t h e s e am o u n t s a n d an y t h i n g i n between
Prices rang e fro m $10 to $500,000. Levels of disability may range from very slight hearing problems to total deafness.
Rate (tỉ lệ)
a quantity such as value , cost, or speed , measured by its relation to some other amount Refugees were crossing the border at the rate of 1000 a day. success/failure rate Penicillin has a high su ccess rate in treating bacterial infections. birth/unemployment/crime / divorce etc rate Australia's unemp loym ent rate rose to 6.5% in February. high/low rate of something
rate of the speed at which som ething happens over a period of time
an attempt to slow down the rate of econom ic growth
at (a) ... rate Children learn at different rates . Our money was running out at an alarming rate .
at a rate of something Iceland is getting wider at a rate of ab ou t 0.5 cm per year.
!
first-rate/second-rate/thirdof good, bad, or very bad
rate = quality: a cheap third-rate motel
Level (of) the amo unt o r degree of som ething, com pared to another amo unt o r degree Increased supplies are needed to meet the level of demand.
high/low level Inflation dropped to its low est level in 30 years. At the moment, public interest is at a high level .
water/oil etc level !
!
! !
(=the height of the water etc from the ground or the bottom of a container) The level of production = The rate of production The level of expenditure = The rate of expenditure The level of unemployment = The rate of unemployment Level being represented by a bar graph Rate being represented by a line graph Level + rise Rate + increase
Degree to a certain extent/degree (=partly, but not com pletely)
I do agree with his ideas to a certain extent.
degree of the level or amo unt o f som ething
1960s Britain was characterized by a greater degree of freedom than before. Newspapers vary in the degree to which they emphasize propaganda rather than information.
by degrees very slowly [= gradually]:
By degrees, Huy forced himself into a sitting position.
extent of how large, impo rtant, or serious som ething is, especially som ething such as a prob lem o r injury
Considering the extent of h is injur ies , he's lucky to be alive. It's too early to assess the full extent of the damage.
scale of We had underestimated the scale of the problem.
on a large/small/grand etc scale There has been housing development on a m assive scale since 1980. Most alternative technologies work best on a sm all scale.
A structural survey revealed t h e f u l l s c a le o f the damage. I was shocked by the sh eer sc ale (=very big scale) of the destruction.
on a global/international/world scale Pollution could cause changes to weather patterns on a glo bal scale.
Large firms benefit from econom ies of scale (=ways of saving money because they are big).
Proportion of a part of a num ber or amo unt, cons idered in relation to the whole
The proportion of women graduates has increased in recent years. Every parent is asked to contribute a proportion of the total cost.
high/large/small etc proportion The decision affects a significant proportion of the population. Although the majority of offenders are men, a small proportion - about 5 percent - are women.
Proportion of t h e r el at i o n s h i p b e t w ee n t w o t h i n g s i n s iz e, am o u n t, im p o r ta n ce et c the
proportion of something to something What's the proportion of boys to girls in your class?
Ratio a relationsh ip b etween tw o amo unts , represented by a p ai r o f n u m b e r s s h o w i n g h o w m u c h b i g g e r o n e amoun t is than the other
the ratio of something to something The ratio of nursing staff to doctors is 2:1.
ratio between the ratio between profits and incomes
Percent & percentage 5 % (percent) 100%(percent)
Percentage an am ou nt expressed as if it is part of a total wh ich is 100
The percentage of school leavers that go to university is about five per cent. Tax is paid as a percentage of total income .
high/low/small percentage A high percentage of married women have part-time jobs.
Related Verbs Be make up consist of constitute comprise amount to Equal account for Represent Include Record reach stand at become predominate
Mathematical Expressions half n. halve vb.
double n. / vb.
triple n.
treble vb.
threefold adj.
quarter n. / vb
multiply vb.
divide vb.
average adj. / vb / n.
total adj. / vb.
partial adj.
equal adj. / n.
fraction n.
Note especially the use of the prepositions at , in and with in some of the following, and try to learn these phrases, as they are very useful: production rose at a rate of 20% per year / per annum / p.a. consumption stood at the same level in the following decade the annual increase was in / within the range of 10% and 20% production increased / decreased by 20% the increase was very significant, at 50% X was the largest producer, with 45% of the total production the number remained steady at 300 for the next year. Exports doubled, to reach 80% of im ports in 1990 There were three times as many users as in the previous year The number of users increased fivefold
Common Adjectives: These are some of the more common adjectives, with examples of appropriate collocations: high / low: a high / low percentage large: a large number great: a great number significant: a significant number / percentage / amount considerable: a considerable amount / increase substantial: a substantial increase / decrease major: a major increase / decrease remarkable: a remarkable increase steady: a steady decrease widespread: the widespread consumption
Common Adverbials: Adverbs and adverbial phrases are also widely used to modify adjectives or numbers in order to express precise meaning. Here are some examples: over: ov er 20% under: un der 5000 just over/ under: ju s t o v er / un der 50 000 people around / about: a r o u n d / about 50% approximately: approximately 25% slightly: slightly m ore than half ;slightly o ver 40% marginally: a m arginally s m aller percentage significantly: s i g n i f i c an t l y f e w e r w o m e n close to: clos e to half considerably: c o n s i d e ra b ly m o r e ex p o r t s substantially: sub stantially less traffic almost: a lm o s t e x a c t l y t w i c e a s m a n y
Similarity can be shown by using: Similarly In the same way Both ….and.... Also As….as.... Likewise The same As well as Too Just as x, y... Equally In a similar way / fashion Not only... but also Like x, y.... Just as x, so y....
Just as x, so y....
Contrast -which is more common -can be expressed by using: but however nevertheless yet on the other hand unlike while whereas although even though as opposed to in contrast to by contrast instead of apart from except for
Other Parts of Speech Contrast can also be shown by using specific verbs, adjectives and nouns:
Verbs:
Adjectives:
Nouns:
compare (with I to)
compared (with I to)
comparison in comparison with
contrast (with)
contrasting
contrast in contrast to
differ (from)
different (from)
difference (between)
distinct (from)
distinction (between)
differentiate (between) distinguish (between)
as distinct from resemble
same
resemblance (to I with)
the same as similar (to)
similarity (with)
vary (from I between)
variation (between)
change (from I to)
change (from)
The following are the most commonly used combinations: the number of e m p l o y e es ; s m o k e r s ; y e ar s the amount of G D P; u n e m p l o y m e n t ; p r o d u c t i o n ; g r o w t h ; ar m s s a l e s ; in c o m e ; e x p e n d i t u r e ; c i g a r e t te c o n s u m p t i o n ;
the size of the degree of
the population u n e m p l o y m e n t ; l i t er a c y ; c i g a r e t te c o n s u m p t i o n
the quantity of the rate of
p r o d u c t i o n ; a r m s s a l es ; c i g a r et t e c o n s u m p t i o n u n e m p l o y m e n t ; l i t er a c y ; p r o d u c t i o n ; g r o w t h ; c i g a r e t te c o n s u m p t i o n ; e x p e n d i t u r e . (Better is: the unemp loym ent rate, the literacy rate, the grow th rate).
the level of
G D P ; u n e m p l o y m e n t ; l i t er a c y ; i n c o m e ; expenditure.
A Conjunctions, within sentences are: But While Whereas Although even though
B New sentences must be started with: However Nevertheless Yet On the other hand By contrast.
C Prepositions are: Unlike as opposed to in contrast to instead of apart from Except for These must be followed by nouns, not clauses.
T hes e a r e t he m o s t i d io m a ti c c o m b in a t io n s . O th e r s m ay o c c u r w h i c h ar e n o t n ec e s s ar i l y w r o n g , b u t ar e u n u s u al o r o d d . the number of + workers + all the verbs except: shrank; dropped; reduced the quantity of + consumption + all the verbs except reduced the proportion + the workforce; the banking sector; ( the) workers; consumption; production; + all the verbs except dropped; reduced consumption; production; employment + all verbs except the rate of + reduced the same as above for the rate of the level of + the percentage of + the workforce; the banking sector; (the) workers; consumption; production + rose; fell; increased; decreased; declined; grew; dropped; fluctuated the workforce; the banking sector + increased; decreased; the size of + declined; grew; expanded; shrank; fluctuated the amount of + consumption; production; employment + all the verbs except reduced Note: reduced cannot be used in any of the above because it is a transitive verb and must have an object! It is possible to use it in the passive; e.g. the number of workers was reduced after the business shrank.
Making Predictions .
Occasionally a graph showing trends predicts what may happen in future. In that case you cannot say that something will happen, only that it mayor could. The modals, may, might or could are generally too vague and uncertain to be used, however. The most common expressions for discussing possible future trends are: it is predicted / forecast / expected / suggested / likely / probable that... If these are used, then the future tense should also be used, rather than mayor could because the combination would be too weak. In other words, *It is predicted that the population may increase to 6 billion is too uncertain, and should be written as: It is predicted that the population will increase to 6 billion. Another possible structure is: An increase in the population to 6 billion is expected.
Using a Compact Style Present Participle clauses are extremely useful for a compact style. For example: Between 1860 and 1900 the temperature remained steady. During that time the temperature rose and fell by no more than 0.1 0 Centigrade.
This can be written as: Between 1860 and 1900 the temperature remained steady,
rising
and falling by no more than 0.1 0 Centigrade. Another typical expression is seen in this sentence: The US had by far the greatest share of the information technology market, accounting
for 44% of Internet connections.
It is imp ortant to n ote that the present p articiple, ending in ing is
active in m eanin g . It does no t ind icate the present tense
at all, and can b e used fo r any tense. The past participle
u s ed f o r t h e p as s i v e a n d i s v e r y u s ef u l i n a c a d em i c w r i t i n g , but is n ot very likely to b e ( e nding in ed or en ) is
needed in d escribing graphs and tables.
Present participle clauses are also often used with prepositions and can include nouns and adverbs: The developing c oun tries of Africa, Asia and Latin Am erica experienced the m ost d ramatic gro wth , with Africa h a v i n g a r o u n d 5% per annum .
Other parts of speech, such as prepositions, and even punctuation can also be used to make your style compact. When you are describing
a g r ap h o r t ab l e , you n eed to
make
a general statement (e.g. carbo n emiss ion s incr eased sign ificantly) and also give the
s p ec if i c d e t ai ls t o su p p o r t t h at
s ta t e me n t (e.g. carbo n emis sion s inc reased to 6000 million to ns ). There are a num ber of simple ways to c om bine this inform ation Carbon emissions increased significantly , to 6000 million to ns . Carbon emissions inc reased b y 600%, from 1000 million to 6000 million tons . Carbon emission incr eased to 6000 million t on s, an incr ease of 600%.
The prepositions at and w i t h are also useful. By far the greatest prop ortion of electricity w as generated by o il at 59%. Au stralia cam e next, w ith a to tal of 42,215 s t u d e n t s . Indo nesia was respon sible for about one third of that amoun t o f rice production, at just over 46 million tonnes . Betw een1920 and 1910 the busin ess sector remained co ns tant at arou nd 10% of the wo rkforce.
Parentheses, either by using brackets or commas, are also very common: Europe, with the greatest cons um ption per head o f cigarettes ( o v er 2000 ) w as ... The greatest pro po rtion o f electricity , 59%, was g enerated b y oil