Describing Data Vocabulary

Percentage = an amount of something, often expressed as a number out of 100.

Sentence- A high percentage of married women have part-time jobs.

Reach = to arrive at a place, especially after spending a long time or a lot of effort travelling.

Sentence- A wanderer who is determined to reach his destination does not fear the rain.

Fluctuate = to change, especially continuously and between one level or thing and another.

Sentence- Prisoner numbers fluctuate from week to week and there are currently only four convicts in the county’s cells.

Indicate = to show, point, or make clear in another way.

Sentence- Statistics indicate that depressed patients are more likely to become ill than are normal people.

Projected = planned for the future or calculated based on information already known.

Sentence- The TV stations agreed not to announce the projected winner until after the polls closed.

Steadily = in a constant way.

Sentence- The administration has been steadily rowing back from its early opposition to his attendance in London.

Steep = (of a slope) rising or falling at a sharp angle.

Sentence- There is no royal road to science, and only those who do not dread the fatiguing climb of its steep paths have a chance of gaining its luminous summits.

Anticipated = to imagine or expect that something will happen.

Sentence- Where economics comes unstuck is when it doesn’t take account of the anticipated actions of human beings.

Noticeable = easy to see or recognize.

Sentence- In recent years there has been a noticeable decline in such venerable British institutions as afternoon tea and the Sunday roast.

Proportion = the number or amount of a group or part of something when compared to the whole.

Sentence- A high proportion of crime in any country is perpetrated by young males in their teens and twenties.

Marked = A marked change or difference in behaviour or in a situation is very obvious or noticeable.

Sentence- They say they expect the meeting to have a marked impact on the future of the country.

Decline = become worse or lower / go down.

Sentence- The closure of the mine was the single most important factor in the town’s decline.

Plateaued = remained steady or unchanged.

Sentence- I’d been losing about a pound a week on my diet, but recently I’ve plateaued and haven’t lost an ounce.

Previous = happening or existing before something or someone else.

Sentence- His time for the 100 metres surpassed the previous world record by one hundredth of a second.

Relatively = in comparison with other similar things or with what you expect.

Sentence- They made the big mistake of thinking they could seize its border with a relatively small force.

Comparison = the act of comparing two or more people or things.

Sentence- The education system bears / stands no comparison with that in many Eastern European countries.

Repeatedly = again and again.

Sentence- My father repeatedly impressed on me the value of hard work.

Variation = a change in amount or level.

Sentence- The genetic variation of some plants from their parents results in expansion of the gene pool for a particular species.

Forecast = a statement of what is judged likely to happen in the future, especially in connection with a particular situation, or the expected weather conditions.

Sentence- The newspaper’s forecast that the Democrats would be totally beaten in the general election came true.