Learning English vocabulary by expanding your vocabulary is an extremely effective method. In English, there are many different words that describe the increase or decrease of an object or event, but sometimes we only know 1 or 2 words.
This is a mistake because verbs indicating increase/decrease are very important in international exams when describing charts or making presentations in foreign businesses.
Today's article will provide you with more words to indicate increase/decrease!
- Increase
"increase" refers to an increase in quantity and price.
For example:
- Raise (Foreign Synonym):
The verb "raise" indicates an increase in quality rather than quantity. Because it is a transitive verb, the word "raise" can be in the passive form.
Common structures:
to raise the reputation of…: increase the reputation of (someone…)
to raise production to the maximum: Increase production to the highest level
For example:
You need to raise the production to the maximum.
- Go up (=Jump up) (Transitive verb):
Because it is an intransitive verb, we cannot make "go up" passive. This word means to go up, to increase to what extent. Common structure: go up to + number…
For example:
- Keep up:
This word is used to describe a figure that increases steadily over time, or increases proportionally.
For example:
- Grow:
The word "grow" indicates a general increase, tending towards growth and development
For example:
Our system made economics grow in several years
The figure has grown dramatically.
- Decrease:
Is an antonym of "increase". Refers to a gradual decrease due to some imperceptible cause (unknown reason).
For example:
The income decrease lower and lower.
- Reduce:
This is a common word when describing an increase/decrease. Means to lower, pull down or cut down (talking about specific things like: size, price, time, speed...)
Commonly used structures:
to reduce speed:reduce speed
to reduce prices:reduce (lower) the price
For example:
You must reduce the amount of cholesterol or else, you will over-weight soon.
Please reduce speed whenever you move on highway, I'm quite afraid.
- Depress:
Decreased in medical terms such as: heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure... It also means to decrease or stagnate
For example:
Look! The heartbeat of patient is depressing rapidly!
- Relieve:
This word does not mean a reduction in data, but only a reduction in pain, reduction in mood and psychological stress.
For example:
My headache need to be relieved, I can't sleep just a bit.
- Lessen:
To reduce in area, reduce or weaken the importance of risks, consequences, impacts or noise.
For example:
Please lessen your voice! It annoys me.
If your blood vessels lessens, you find hard to breathe.
- Drop:
Decline in rankings, decrease in temperature, rainfall, and wind power.
For example:
I can't believe it! My record dropped from top 10 to top 20.
- Dwindle:
Gradually getting smaller, weaker, atrophied, reduced to the point of almost being eliminated
For example:
The typhoon dwindle soon after 2 hours coming in Philippines.
- Diminish:
This word means to reduce, reduce (emphasizing external factors).
For example:
We have to find out a way to diminish her arrogance.
The new boss coming here diminish manager’s power.
With the vocabulary provided above, we hope you will have good IELTS Writing Task 1 tests or reports at work! Good luck!