The Olympics medal table-Task 1

The Olympics medal table

This lesson looks at possibly the hardest of the academic task one diagrams – the table. I have taken the Olympics medal table – a difficult table to describe because it contains so much data. If you can accurately describe this table, then IELTS tasks should be easier. In many ways, the key is to allow yourself as much thinking time as possible – if you understand the table, then it is much easier to summarise it.

To help you along the way, I suggest a 3/4 step thinking process that should allow you to analyse the table and give you some tasks to test your skills, before showing you my sample answer with writing notes.

Test yourself before you start

You will find my sample answer below and my description of how I wrote it. A suggestion is that you try and describe the table yourself before looking at my version and to compare my answer with yours.

Understanding the problem – too much information

The problem is that this table gives you 50 pieces of data. You cannot include all this information – the idea is to select and summarise the main points and make relevant comparisons. This means that before you write you need to spend time analysing and understanding the data. This is normally harder in tables as they are the least visual of all the diagrams – you need to look at just numbers.

A possible solution

Numbers can be confusing. So here is a possible solution. It helped me write my answer and it is a model that could/should work for most tables. It means doing two things:

1. deciding how to organise your answer – find two main topic paragraphs – the key ideas

2. looking at the extremes and how you would group information together – the main points and the comparisons

Finding paragraph topics – the key ideas

You will almost always want to organise your report into two main topic paragraphs. This means that each paragraph should be about one idea. So, the very strong suggestion is that you spend time deciding what those topics should be. They are normally “big things”. If you don’t get them, it may be because you think they are too obvious.

Task

Look at the medals table above and decide how you would organise the paragraphs. Think about how the table is organised. Your report wants to mirror the organisation of the table itsel

Noting the extremes

Important information to be included almost always includes the ideas of “the most” and “the least” – the extremes. This helps organise your report and is a first step to making some comparisons.

Task

Look at the table and answer these questions. In some ways, the key to doing this is to understand that you may be looking at more than country at once. Also. as you look at the total medal count, you may also want to make some comparison/contrast with the gold medal count.

1. Which country or countries won the most gold medals?
2. Which country or countries won the fewest gold medals?
3. Which country or countries won the most medals overall?
4. Which country or countries won the fewest?

Grouping similar data together

The next step I consider is how to group countries together. This is necessary from two points of view:

1. it helps make comparisons – part of the task
2. it allows you to summarise more effectively – again part of the task

Task

Look at the table above and decide:

1. which countries you would group together when describing the gold medals
2. which countries you would group together when describing the total me

What are the details to include?

The key is that before you start to write, you should have some key points you want to emphasise. If you have worked your way through the tasks, you should have some idea about these. You will find my ideas

See my answer

This table shows the ten most successful countries in the 2012 Olympics, from it we can see the number of gold, silver and bronze medals each country won. It is of note that the ranking of the nations is organised according to the number of gold medals and not the total amount of medals won.

In terms of gold medals, the two most successful nations were the USA and China which won 46 and 38 golds respectively. After Great Britain and Russia in third and fourth place with 29 and 24 golds, there was a significant gap to the other nations (South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary and Australia), all of which won between 13 and 7 gold medals only.

When we look at the total medals won, the United States was still the most successful nation with over 100 medals in comparison to Hungary’s total of only 17 medals. It is also notable how Australia rose from tenth place in gold medals to sixth place in total medals. Russia with 82 medals overall, however, was only slightly behind China in second place, whileGreat Britain dropped to fourth place with 65 medals. Of the other nations, it is notable how almost half of South Korea’s and Hungary’s total medals were golds, whereas only between one quarter and one fifth of Germany’s and Australia’s medals were gold. France and Italy, in contrast, won an almost equal proportion of golds, silvers and bronzes.

In conclusion, we can say that the Olympic medal table shows how total medal count and the proportion of gold, silver and bronze medals varied between the ten most successful nations.

Academic Task 1 writing – migration to Australia

This lesson is really about thinking how to organise your task 1 answer – something that is often a problem. I suggest some basic principles that may help you with organisation. To show you how this can work, I also show you a sample answer using these principles.

A chart/graph per paragraph?

This is by no means a rule, but when you have more than one chart/graph often the sensible approach is to use one paragraph per chart/graph. The benefit of this approach is that it is clear and a large part of the task is to summarise the information as clearly as possible. This approach makes most sense when the two charts/graphs show different types of information

One time when you may decide not to take this approach is when you have two charts/graphs that have very similar information. Then it may make sense to combine the information in one paragraph because it it easier to make comparisons.

Top to bottom/first to last organisation

Another idea you may want to consider is organising the information starting with the first/biggest and ending with the last/smallest. This principle can work in both static charts/graphs and time based charts/graphs. The idea is that you want to present the information in the clearest way – that is coherence – and this is one logical way to do that.

You will see an example of this in my pie chart description below.

Main points then details/exceptions

The task is to summarise and select the main points. This means that it makes sense to start with general/main points and then add details later. This typically makes your writing much easier to read – coherence again. The trick to doing this is to be able to identify what those main points are – something that many candidates find difficult.

You will see an example of this in my bar graph description below.

See my example report

These two charts give us information about the patterns of migration to Australia between 2000 and 2009. The pie chart shows that in 2009 almost 50% of migrants came from just four countries. New Zealand was responsible for sending the greatest proportion of migrants to Australia at 20%. The other three countries that made the most significant contribution were China, the UK and India at 12, 9 and 8 per cent respectively.

The bar graph shows that approximately twice as many people settled in Australia between 2000 and 2010 as migrated there permanently. Overall, there was a steady rise in the numbers of settlers from just over 100,000 to just under 150,00. While in contrast, the number of permanent migrants fell marginally from around 60,000 to just over 50,000, despite rising to a peak of about 75,000 in 2008.  In both 2000 and 2009, the general trend changed and there was a noticeable decrease in the number of settlers and migrants, and in 2009 the proportion on permanent migrants fell to just over a third.

In summary, it would appear that the patterns of migration changed from 2000 to 2009, with a greater proportion of people choosing not to immigrate there permanently despite an increase in the number of people settling there.

Notes

Paragraphs

There are two charts/graphs. They are connected but give dissimilar information. I decide to use one paragraph per chart/graph. I don’t worry too much that there is more information about one chart/graph than the other. This is a summary task, not an essay.

Top to bottom organisation

If you look at the pie chart there are 4 major countries that send migrants to Australia. They are in order New Zealand, China, the UK and India. I therefore write about them in that order even though they do not come in that order in the pie chart.

Main points first, details/exceptions later

If you look at the bar graph, there are two main points that must be highlighted.

• More people settle in Australia than migrate to Australia (blue is bigger than green)
• The general trend is upwards (especially for settlers)

I make these points my first points and then I add details later. The different pattern in 2000 and 2009 needs to be noted but is not a signifiicant as the general pattern.

part 1 graphs, charts and tables

A checklist for part 1 graphs, charts and tables

In task 1 it is important that you accurately describe the information from the diagram so you don’t lose marks under Task Response. The difficulty is to decide what is the key information as there is often a lot of data to process. One way of thinking about this, is to ask yourself if someone could draw the chart and graph from the information in your report. This is not easy to do and so to help you, you will find below a 8 point checklist, an exercise and a practice suggestion.

Checklist

Here is my 8 point checklist to help you include the relevant details. I suggest you use it to check your own work: you should be able to answer “yes”to all the questions.

1. Type of diagram

Have you correctly identified whether it is a bar chart/line graph/pie chart/flow chart/table?

2. The correct tense

Have you correctly identified whether the data in the chart relates to past time, a current state of affairs or a future prediction? This includes not just using the correct tenses but also including specific times in your report.

3. The subjects

Have you included all the subjects that are referred to in the diagram? Even if you have a bar chart ortable naming 8 different countries for example, you still need to refer to them all in your report.

4. Units

Have you included references to the units? These may be units of time (months/years etc), money (millions of £) or simple numbers (10,000s). To do this, you need to read the x and y axes carefully.

5. Highs and lows/Beginnings and ends/Biggest and smallest

Have you included the extremes shown in the diagram? In nearly all charts and graphs these are key features to include as they give the reader a frame for understanding the chart or graph. When there is a lot of data, you may not include every extreme so you need to use your judgement.

6. Patterns and trends

Have you noted any patterns?

In dynamic charts (when there is a change in time), it is nearly always important to note whether the general trend is upwards or downwards.

In static charts (when there is only one time frame), it can be important to note patterns. For example, if you look at my sample report on holiday destinations, you will see that I group England, Scotland and Wales together and note that they have a similar pattern.

7. Exceptions

Is there anything in the chart that is completely different to the general pattern? If so, this too is very likely to be a key detail that needs to be noted.

8. Ordering information

Have you ordered the information in a logical way? It is no good putting all the right information in if the keys points are hidden away. This can happen if you follow the order of the chart without thinking. Possible logical ways of ordering the report include:

• start with the most significant detail
• start with the general pattern, then note exceptions
• group items that are similar
• move from the largest to the smallest
• move from the first in time to the last in time

Exercise

The exercise is to look at this sample task 1 report and then try and draw it. Your version need not be exactly the same as the original but it should look very similar.

This bar graph shows the quarterly changes profits for Microsoft, Ford and IBM in 2012. The first point to note is that while both Microsoft and IBM are predicted to show a substantial growth in profits in this period, there is going to be little movement in the figures for Ford. It should also be remarked that although IBM will start the year with the lowest margin, it is predicted to be the most profitable company by the end of the year.

If we look at the numbers in detail, we see that Ford is expected to make a first-quarter profit of around $825 million and this should rise marginally to $900 million by the end of September, only to fall back to its starting point by December. In stark contrast, IBM is predicted to show a steady growth in profits throughout the year, shooting up from just over $180 million to exactly $1,200 million by the year’s end. After a difficult first quarter where its profits drop by around half to around $200, Microsoft is forecast to follow a similar pattern of steady growth from April to December, finishing at $600 million.

Choosing the right details in a bar chart

This lesson is designed to help you think about how part 1 IELTS writing works. The idea is that many of the problems with task 1 writing are caused by the thinking part – analysing the data. That matters because the goal in task 1 is not just to describe the information in the chart, but to summarise it by selecting the key data. To do this, you need to spend time thinking – it is not simply a vocabulary exercise.

I’d add that time spent thinking is rarely wasted. If you spend 3/4 minutes thinking  of what details to include, the report actually becomes easier to write. All the “ideas” are there (good for your Task Response score) and it becomes much easier to organise the report (good for your Coherence and Cohesion score).

Test yourself first

This is a simple  bar chart similar to one you might find in task 1. Your task is to analyse and decide what information you would choose to include in your writing.

1. Look at the chart and think for 3/4 minutes
2. Make notes of what details you would include
3. Try the test – how many of the details I suggest did you find?

Have problems? Disagree with me? Read on below.

Try the quiz

Start with the obvious

Sometimes it is easy to forget to include a detail because it looks too simple. Don’t do that. Simple matters. If you don’t include these simple details, your writing will lack clarity. The tip here is to look at the simple (that word again) things like colours and line lengths – let the visual help you. Do that and you get something like this:

1. there are 6 countries
2. some bars are longer than others – there are significant differences in the proportion of proficient second language speakers among the different countries
3. there are two colours of bars – males and females are included in the study
4. the green lines are typically longer – generally more females than males are proficient in a second language

Look at the key – use it to organise your answer

The key can also help you. Its role is to show what the different lines mean. One thing that you can do is to use it to organise your answer: in this case, that means making sure you write about:

• males
• females
• a comparison of males and females

I’ve helped you here by re-organising the data. This is what you should see and need to include:

1. India is much the largest (around 55%)
2. China is the smallest (about a third of India) (around 17%)
3. Romania, Vietnam, Russia and Thailand are in that order and approximately similar (between 32 and 42%)

Likewise with females, it’s a good idea to look at the extremes and this is what you get:

1. India and Romania are the largest (around 65% and 65% respectively)
2. Thailand is the smallest (about 27%)
3. There are fairly significant differences between Vietnam, Russia and China

Comparisons are almost always important. Here you should see:

1. Typically, more females are proficient than males
2. Thailand is the exception because there the pattern is reversed (the lines cross)
3. Romanian females appear to be especially good at languages

Look at the axes

Another detail you need to include is that the percentage of second language learners varies considerably from country to country. You can see this by simply looking at the length of the lines on the “y” (vertical) axis. To help you see this, I have re-organised the data in a pie chart:

Key information to include from this is that overall:

1. China has significantly the lowest proportion of second language speakers
2. India is much the largest
3. there are no major differences between Romania, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam

A sample report

Take a look at this sample report and see how I have included the relevant details.

This bar chart shows how second language proficiency varies between males and females in 6 different countries. It is immediately apparent that while there is significant regional variation in second language ability, typically a higher percentage of females than males speak a second language well.

If we look at males we can see that India has much the greatest proportion of proficient second language speakers at around 55% and China has the least at fewer than 18%. There is only  a 10% difference in competency ranging from around 40% to around 30% between Romania, Vietnam, Russia and Thailand in second to fourth places respectively. There are,however, notably more female than male second language speakers in every country with the exception of Thailand. So, India once again leads the way with around 65% , closely followed by Romania and then Vietnam and Russia at 56 and 42% in turn. The two countries with fewest proficient second language speakers are China and Thailand at around 30%. The final point to note is that of the countries in the report, India would appear to have the highest overall proportion of proficient second language speakers and China the least.

Notes

The “obvious” details form the summary statement/introduction.

The main content paragraph looks first at males and then makes a contrast with females. Doing it this way means you don’t need to repeat a lot of detail.

For both males and females, the first figure included is the highest figure and, typically, the numbers run logically from high to low.

IELTS pie charts exercise

IELTS pie charts exercise – range of vocabulary

This lesson gives you a model IELTS pie chart answer. But what is really about the language you need for task one academic writing. My answer may surprise you. It’s SIMPLE language used well – that means CLEARLY. Another key word (one that I repeat a lot below) is VARIETY. The idea is that if you can use simple language in a varied way, then you can write an excellent task one answer – without having to learn lists of words.

Test yourself before you start

Look at the pie charts below and think of the type of language you need to write the answer. To help you, I will tell you that my answer includes 4 major language areas: one of which is the language of transport. What are the others?

IELTS pie charts – transport

Test yourself a little more

Before you read my model answer, try and think of different words and ways of describing

1. 1990,2000 and 2010
2. 4%, 6% and 10%

Now try and think of as many different forms of the word “commute” as you can. Can you think of any collocations?

What words do you know for “stay the same”,”go up” and “go down”? Are there any adverbs or adjectives you regularly use with these words?

Pie charts show you proportions. Can you think of any other related number words you might want to use?

Now read my answer

What you should immediately see is that very nearly all this is in colour. Read on and you will discover why.

We can see from these charts how commuters travelled to work in London in 1990, 2000 and 2010.

In all three years, a majority of commuters used rail transport to get to work. However, there was a steady decline in the proportion of commuters using the underground system, this fell from a high of 38 per cent in 1990 to 34 per cent in 2010. In contrast, use of the train network remained almost unchanged at around 23 per cent in this period.

The means of transport that increased most in popularity was the bicycle. In 1990, only 4 per cent of commuters chose to cycle to work. By 2010, this figure had more than doubled, with one in ten people commuting to work by bicycle. By way of contrast, the percentage of car drivers fell from 22 per cent in 1990 to 19 per cent twenty years later. The figures for motorcyclists and pedestrians remained fairly constant at around 5 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.

In general, it is possible to say that there were only minor changes in commuting patterns during this period and that was a move away from commuters using the underground system in London towards cycling.

Language notes

The language you need to use in task one is normally quite predictable. What this means in practice is that you should be prepared to use a variety of different words. The words you use need not be complex, just varied. Below, I show you how I have varied my language in three key areas. You may think my language is simple. You’d be correct. But if you think it is too simple, I’d suggest you think again. This is a very good answer because I vary my words.

1. The language of change

The change words are highlighted in red. Note that I don’t use complex words, but I use the core words of “fall” and “change” in different ways and accurately.

a steady decline in – note the preposition in here and the adjective (steady) to qualify decline

fell from a high of - “high” is very good here, a nice alternative of “peak” – a word that is sometimes overused and works better in line charts generally

remained almost unchanged at – again see the preposition “at” and the qualifier “almost: both of these show accuracy and variation

that increased most – a simple word again, but the word order may trick you

fell from …. to – I am not afraid to use the simple “fall”; I can do this because I used decline earlier – variation is enough.

remained fairly constant at – I have repeated the word “remained” – that’s not a real problem because I have changed the way I have qualified it

only minor changes in – change is a simple word. I could have used “variations”instead, but what I want you to see is that “minor changes” is effective enough because of the qualifying “minor”

a move away from – this is another very effective use of a simple word (“move”), it works well because it is used in combination with other words in a set phrase “a move away from”. The message here is not to learn words by themselves but focus on how they are used with other words.

2. The language of time

You need to refer to time in your answer. The trick here is to make sure that you change the language you use. Nothing complicated required.

in 1990, 2000 and 2010/in these three years/in this period/during this period – all four of these phrases mean much the same

20 years later – another good variation (what is the difference between 1990 and 2010; answer 20 years)

in 1990/ by 2010 – these may look the same, but mean different things; you should note how things “had” changed “by” 1990 – prepositions may be small words but they can mean a lot

3. The language of numbers

Pie charts show percentages and proportions and these are the two words you will and should use most. Don’t look for variation for variation’s sake – accuracy matters too. I do, however, change between these quite frequently, something you want to learn to do.

a majority of – more than 50%

the proportion of – the standard word

38 per cent/around 23 per cent/only 4 per cent – note how I use around and only to show an approximate figure and that it is a low figure. You might also want to notice “per cent” is written properly as two words.

this figure had more than doubled – figure is a super useful word that can be used for numbers

one in ten – another way to talk about percentages

the percentage of – another standard word that I can use because I have so many variations

around 5% and 10 per cent respectively – “respectively” is a useful for talking about two sets of figures at the same time. Here motorcyclists and pedestrians show a similar pattern so I want to write about them together, “respectively” allows me to do this

4. Transport language

This language is a bit different – this is topic language that you cannot predict, it all depends what the chart is about. Just as before though, the idea is to change the words you do have. My particular suggestion is that you think about word forms. “Commute” is the right word: there isn’t really any other way of saying except “travel to work”. That isn’t a problem though because “commuter”, “commuting” and “commute” are in a way all different words. If you can use them all, you are showing the examiner variation.

commuters travelled to work/commuters used rail transport/commuters using the underground system/people commuting to work by bicycle – all of these are “commute” words, but note how I change the way I use the word each time

use of the train network/the underground system - the words to note here are “network” and “system”

the means of transport – I could also use “mode of transport”, but that is in the question

the bicycle – not at all simple though it may look it – articles are really hard. “The bicycle” here means the category of bicycle.

car drivers/motorcyclists/pedestrians - I don’t want to repeat “car”, motorcycle” and walking”, so i think of the people instead and find connected words. The only one that may be new to you is “pedestrian”, which means someone who walks.

Up verbs

Verbs

These verbs are alternatives to the basic rise and fall vocabulary. One benefit of using them is that sometimes they help you avoid repeating too many numbers. If you have a strong verb, you don’t always have to give the exact figure.

Up verbs

Notes:

• “Soar “and “rocket” are both very strong words that describe large rises. “Rocket” is more sudden. You probably do not need to qualify these verbs with adverbs.
• “Leap” shows a large and sudden rise. Again, you probably do not need to qualify it with an adverb.
• “Climb” is a relatively neutral verb that can be used with the adverbs below.

Down verbs

Notes:

• “Plummet” is the strongest word here. It means to fall very quickly and a long way.
• “Drop”  and “drop” are normally used for fairly small decreases
• “Slip back” is used for falls that come after rises
• “Drop” and “Dip” are also frequently used as nouns: eg “a slight dip” “a sudden drop”

Adjectives and adverbs

This is a selection of some of the most common adjectives and adverbs used for trend language. Please be careful. This is an area where it is possible to make low-level mistakes. Make sure that you use adjectives with nouns and adverbs with verbs:

• a significant rise – correct (adjective/noun)
• rose significantly – correct (adverb/verb)
• a significantly rise – wrong wrong wrong

Please also note the spelling of the adverbs. There is a particular problem with the word “dramatically:

• dramatically – correct
• dramaticly – wrong
• dramaticaly – wrong

Adjectives of degree

notes

• “sudden” and “sharp” can be used of relatively minor changes that happen quickly
• “spectacular” and “dramatic” are very strong words only to used to big, big, big changes

Steady adjectives

Small adjectives

notes

• “marginal” is a particularly useful word for describing very small changes

Other useful adjectives

These adjectives can be used to describes more general trends

notes

• “overall” can be used to describe changes in trend over the whole period: very useful in introductions and conclusions
• “upward” and “downward” are adjectives: the adverbs are “upwards” and “downwards”

Academic Word List vocabulary

Academic Word List

analyse, verb

consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
break down into components or essential features
make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features
subject to psychoanalytic treatment

approach, verb
move towards
We were approaching our destination
come near or verge on, resemble, come nearer in quality, or character
begin to deal with
come near in time
Winter is approaching
make advances to someone, usually with a proposal or suggestion
I was approached by the President to serve as his adviser in foreign matters

approach, noun
ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation
his approach to every problem is to draw up a list of pros and cons
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
the hunter's approach scattered the geese
a way of entering or leaving
the final path followed by an aircraft as it is landing
the event of one object coming closer to another

area, noun
a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
it was a mountainous area
a subject of study
it was his area of specialization
a part of an animal that has a special function or is supplied by a given artery or nerve
in the abdominal region
a particular environment or walk of life
a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function
the spacious cooking area provided plenty of room for servants

assess, verb
evaluate or estimate the nature, quality, ability, extent, or significance of
charge (a person or a property) with a payment, such as a tax or a fine
set or determine the amount of (a payment such as a fine)
estimate the value of (property) for taxation
Our house hasn't been assessed in years

assume, verb
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
I assume his train was late
take on titles, offices, duties, responsibilities
When will the new President assume office?
take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect
His voice took on a sad tone
take on as one's own the expenses or debts of another person
occupy or take on
He assumes the lotus position

authority, noun
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
he has the authority to issue warrants
(usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others
the authorities have issued a curfew
an expert whose views are taken as definitive
he is an authority on corporate law
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
an administrative unit of government

available, adj
obtainable or accessible and ready for use or service
kept a fire extinguisher available
not busy; not otherwise committed
he was not available for comment
convenient for use or disposal
the house is available after July 1

benefit, verb
derive a benefit from
be beneficial for
This will do you good

benefit, noun
financial assistance in time of need
something that aids or promotes well-being
for the benefit of all
a performance to raise money for a charitable cause

concept, noun
an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances

consist, verb
originate (in)
have its essential character; be comprised or contained in; be embodied in
The payment consists in food
be consistent in form, tenor, or character; be congruous
Desires are to be satisfied only so far as consists with an approved end
be composed of
The land he conquered comprised several provinces

constitute, verb
form or compose
This money is my only income
create and charge with a task or function
to compose or represent:
set up or lay the groundwork for

context, noun
discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation
the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event
the historical context

contract, verb
enter into a contractual arrangement
engage by written agreement
squeeze or press together
be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
He got AIDS
become smaller or draw together

contract, noun
a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law
(contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make
a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks he bid

create, verb
make or cause to be or to become
bring into existence
The company was created 25 years ago
pursue a creative activity; be engaged in a creative activity
Don't disturb him--he is creating
invest with a new title, office, or rank
Create one a peer
create by artistic means
create a poem

data, noun
a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn
statistical data

define, verb
determine the essential quality of
give a definition for the meaning of a word
Define `sadness'
determine the nature of
What defines a good wine?
show the form or outline of
The tree was clearly defined by the light
decide upon or fix definitely

derive, verb
reason by deduction; establish by deduction
obtain
derive pleasure from one's garden
come from
The present name derives from an older form
develop or evolve from a latent or potential state
come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example
She was descended from an old Italian noble family

distribute, verb
administer or bestow, as in small portions
administer critical remarks to everyone present
distribute or disperse widely
make available
The publisher wants to distribute the book in Asia
give to several people
The teacher handed out the exams
cause be distributed

economy, noun
the system of production and distribution and consumption
the efficient use of resources
economy of effort
frugality in the expenditure of money or resources
the Scots are famous for their economy
an act of economizing; reduction in cost
it was a small economy to walk to work every day

environment, noun
the totality of surrounding conditions
he longed for the comfortable environment of his living room
the area in which something exists or lives
the country--the flat agricultural surround

establish, verb
set up or found
She set up a literacy program
set up or lay the groundwork for
establish a new department
establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
institute, enact, or establish
bring about
The trompe l'oeil-illusion establishes depth

estimate, verb
judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)
I estimate this chicken to weigh three pounds
judge to be probable

estimate, noun
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
an estimate of what it would cost
a judgment of the qualities of something or somebody
many factors are involved in any estimate of human life
a document appraising the value of something (as for insurance or taxation)
a statement indicating the likely cost of some job
he got an estimate from the car repair shop
the respect with which a person is held
they had a high estimation of his ability

evident, adj
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
capable of being seen or noticed

export, verb
sell or transfer abroad
we export less than we import and have a negative trade balance
transfer (electronic data) out of a database or document in a format that can be used by other programs
cause to spread in another part of the world
The Russians exported Marxism to Africa

export, noun
commodities (goods or services) sold to a foreign country

factor, verb
resolve into factors
a quantum computer can factor the number 15
be a contributing factor
make things factor into a company's profitability
consider as relevant when making a decision
You must factor in the recent developments

factor, noun
anything that contributes causally to a result
a number of factors determined the outcome
an abstract part of something
one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer
a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission
any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together

finance, verb
obtain or provide money for
Can we finance the addition to our home?
sell or provide on credit

finance, noun
the commercial activity of providing funds and capital
the branch of economics that studies the management of money and other assets
the management of money and credit and banking and investments

formula, noun
a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement
directions for making something
a conventionalized statement expressing some fundamental principle
a representation of a substance using symbols for its constituent elements
something regarded as a normative example

function, verb
perform as expected when applied
The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in
serve a purpose, role, or function
perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function

function, noun
(mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)
what something is used for
the function of an auger is to bore holes
the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group
the function of a teacher
a relation such that one thing is dependent on another
height is a function of age
a formal or official social gathering or ceremony
it was a black-tie function

identify, verb
recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something
She identified the man on the 'wanted' poster
give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property
consider (oneself) as similar to somebody else
He identified with the refugees
conceive of as united or associated
Sex activity is closely identified with the hypothalamus
identify as in botany or biology, for example

income, noun
the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time

indicate, verb
be a signal for or a symptom of
indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
I showed the customer the glove section
to state or express briefly
indicated his wishes in a letter
give evidence of
suggest the necessity of an intervention; in medicine
Tetracycline is indicated in such cases

individual, noun
a human being
a single organism

individual, adj
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
individual drops of rain
separate and distinct from others of the same kind
mark the individual pages
characteristic of or meant for a single person or thing
an individual serving
concerning one person exclusively

interpret, verb
make sense of; assign a meaning to
What message do you see in this letter?
give an interpretation or explanation to
give an interpretation or rendition of
The pianist rendered the Beethoven sonata beautifully
create an image or likeness of
restate (words) from one language into another language

involve, verb
connect closely and often incriminatingly
This new ruling affects your business
engage as a participant
Don't involve me in your family affairs!
have as a necessary feature
require as useful, just, or proper
contain as a part
Dinner at Joe's always involves at least six courses

issue, verb
prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
circulate or distribute or equip with
issue a new uniform to the children
bring out an official document (such as a warrant)
come out of
Water issued from the hole in the wall
make out and issue

issue, noun
an important question that is in dispute and must be settled
the issue could be settled by requiring public education for everyone
one of a series published periodically
she found an old issue of the magazine in her dentist's waiting room
some situation or event that is thought about
the act of providing an item for general use or for official purposes (usually in quantity)
a new issue of stamps
supplies (as food or clothing or ammunition) issued by the government

labour, verb
work hard
strive and make an effort to reach a goal
undergo the efforts of childbirth

labour, noun
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
a political party formed in Great Britain in 1900; characterized by the promotion of labor's interests and formerly the socialization of key industries
productive work (especially physical work done for wages)

legal, adj
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
of or relating to jurisprudence
legal loophole
having legal efficacy or force
a sound title to the property
relating to or characteristic of the profession of law
the legal profession
allowed by official rules
a legal pass receiver

legislate, verb
make laws, bills, etc. or bring into effect by legislation
They passed the amendment

major, noun
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain
British statesman who was prime minister from 1990 until 1997 (born in 1943)
a university student who is studying a particular field as the principal subject
she is a linguistics major
the principal field of study of a student at a university
her major is linguistics

major, verb
have as one's principal field of study
She is majoring in linguistics

major, adj
of greater importance or stature or rank
a major artist
greater in scope or effect
a major contribution
greater in number or size or amount
a major portion (a majority) of the population
of the field of academic study in which one concentrates or specializes
his major field was mathematics
of a scale or mode
major scales

method, noun
a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
an acting technique introduced by Stanislavsky in which the actor recalls emotions or reactions from his or her own life and uses them to identify with the character being portrayed

occur, verb
come to pass
come to one's mind; suggest itself
It occurred to me that we should hire another secretary
to be found to exist
sexism occurs in many workplaces

percent, noun
a proportion in relation to a whole (which is usually the amount per hundred)

period, noun
an amount of time
the interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon
(ice hockey) one of three divisions into which play is divided in hockey games
a unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed
ganoid fishes swarmed during the earlier geological periods
the end or completion of something
death put a period to his endeavors

policy, noun
a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
it was a policy of retribution
a line of argument rationalizing the course of action of a government
they debated the policy or impolicy of the proposed legislation
written contract or certificate of insurance
you should have read the small print on your policy

principle, noun
a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
their principles of composition characterized all their works
a rule or standard especially of good behavior
a man of principle
a basic truth or law or assumption
the principles of democracy
a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system
the principle of the conservation of mass
rule of personal conduct

proceed, verb
continue talking
move ahead; travel onward in time or space
We proceeded towards Washington
follow a procedure or take a course
follow a certain course
The inauguration went well
continue a certain state, condition, or activity

process, verb
subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
process cheese
deal with in a routine way
I'll handle that one
perform mathematical and logical operations on (data) according to programmed instructions in order to obtain the required information
The results of the elections were still being processed when he gave his acceptance speech
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
march in a procession

process, noun
a particular course of action intended to achieve a result
(psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents
the process of thinking
a writ issued by authority of law; usually compels the defendant's attendance in a civil suit; failure to appear results in a default judgment against the defendant
a mental process that you are not directly aware of
the process of denial
a natural prolongation or projection from a part of an organism either animal or plant
a bony process

require, verb
require as useful, just, or proper
consider obligatory; request and expect
make someone do something
have need of

research, verb
attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner
The student researched the history of that word
inquire into
the students had to research the history of the Second World War for their history project

research, noun
systematic investigation to establish facts
a search for knowledge

respond, verb
show a response or a reaction to something
react verbally
respond favorably or as hoped
The cancer responded to the aggressive therapy

role, noun
the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group
an actor's portrayal of someone in a play
what something is used for
normal or customary activity of a person in a particular social setting
what is your role on the team?

section, verb
divide into segments

section, noun
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
he always turns first to the business section
a very thin slice (of tissue or mineral or other substance) for examination under a microscope
sections from the left ventricle showed diseased tissue
a distinct region or subdivision of a territorial or political area or community or group of people
no section of the nation is more ardent than the South
one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object
a section of a fishing rod
a small team of policemen working as part of a police platoon

sector, noun
a plane figure bounded by two radii and the included arc of a circle
a social group that forms part of the society or the economy
the public sector
a particular aspect of life or activity
he was helpless in an important sector of his life
the minimum track length that can be assigned to store information; unless otherwise specified a sector of data consists of 512 bytes
a portion of a military position

significant, adj
important in effect or meaning
a significant change in tax laws
fairly large
won by a substantial margin
too closely correlated to be attributed to chance and therefore indicating a systematic relation
the interaction effect is significant at the .01 level
rich in significance or implication

similar, adj
marked by correspondence or resemblance
similar food at similar prices
having the same or similar characteristics
resembling or similar; having the same or some of the same characteristics; often used in combination
(of words) expressing closely related meanings
capable of replacing or changing places with something else; permitting mutual substitution without loss of function or suitability

source, verb
get (a product) from another country or business
She sourced a supply of carpet
specify the origin of
The writer carefully sourced her report

source, noun
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
a document (or organization) from which information is obtained
the reporter had two sources for the story
anything that provides inspiration for later work
a facility where something is available
a person who supplies information

specific, noun
a fact about some part (as opposed to general)
a medicine that has a mitigating effect on a specific disease
quinine is a specific for malaria

specific, adj
(sometimes followed by `to') applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique
rules with specific application
stated explicitly or in detail
needed a specific amount
relating to or distinguishing or constituting a taxonomic species
specific characters
being or affecting a disease produced by a particular microorganism or condition; used also of stains or dyes used in making microscope slides
quinine is highly specific for malaria

structure, verb
give a structure to
I need to structure my days

structure, noun
a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
the structure consisted of a series of arches
the manner of construction of something and the arrangement of its parts
artists must study the structure of the human body
the complex composition of knowledge as elements and their combinations
his lectures have no structure
a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing
he has good bone structure
the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships

theory, noun
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses
a tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena
a belief that can guide behavior
the architect has a theory that more is less

vary, verb
become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
be at variance with; be out of line with
be subject to change in accordance with a variable
Prices vary
make something more diverse and varied
Vary the menu