Speaking in Academic Contexts

Rhetorical Functions in Academic Speaking: Including charts and diagrams

It is often useful when you are speaking to include reference to tables and charts.

Example

Look at the following example:

If you look at Figure 1, you can see the sales of mobile phones per month. You can see that it covers the years 1998 to 2001. It shows that the sales of mobile phones declined steadily in 1998, then remained steady from May until the end of the year. As the graph shows, the sales then rose, more and more steeply, throughout 1999, and there was a large increase at the end of the year. Sales reached a peak of 6,200 in February 2000. There was then a sharp fall, as you can see, but sales levelled off at about 5,300 per month in April. They then fluctuated slightly through the year, and are now increasing again.

Language

Referring to a diagram, chart etc.

As you can see	from in	the	chart, diagram, table, graph, figures, statistics,	…
We can see				that …

As you can see	from in	Table 1, Figure 2, Graph 3,	.
We can see

As	the	chart diagram table graph	shows, indicates,	.
		figures statistics	show, indicate,

From

Table 1
Figure 2

can

may

see
conclude
show
estimate
calculate
infer

that …

the

figures
chart
diagram

Describing change

X	increased shot up grew rose	by	…
	declined reduced decreased dropped fell

X	increased shot up grew rose	slightly slowly gradually steadily markedly dramatically steeply sharply rapidly suddenly
	declined reduced decreased dropped fell

X	reached a peak. levelled off