Language Functions
Expressing“Parts”
In our descriptions of activities and events,we often illustrate“parts”and“whole”.Here are some useful words and phrases that can help us express“parts”:
A part of the payment will be made in the US dollar.
partly
a fraction/portion/section of…
the vast majority of…
a considerable majority of…
a majority of…
most of…
the bulk of…
many/much…
a lot of/lots of…
a large proportion of…
a large/considerable minority of…
a large number of…
a minority of…
some/a few of…
a little of…
not many/much…
only a small number of…
Expressing“Whole”
The following are some useful words and phrases that can help us express“whole”:
All of the students of this class choose not to participate.
the whole…
all in all
all things considered
as a rule
by and large
for the most part
generally
generally speaking
in general
on the whole
Expressing Percentage and Fraction
When we describe graphs and charts,we often use percentages and fractions to state our points.For example,
Over 70% of the country’s GDP is government spending.
This year’s sales is 15 percent higher/lower than last year’s.
It is estimated that nearly 65% of the college graduates will find jobs with private business firms.
under a tenth(< 10%)
a tenth(10%)
a fifth(20%)
a quarter(25%)
about/nearly a third(≈ 33%)
a third(⅓ or 33.3%)
three over eight(⅜ or 37.5%)
two fifths(40%)
almost/just under/less than half(< 50%)
half(50%)
just over/more than/over half(> 50%)
well over half/nearly two thirds(≈ ⅔ or 65%)
three quarters(75%)
over three quarters(> 75%)
seven eighths(⅞ or 87.5%)
Expressing Ratio and Proportion
Ratio and proportion are synonyms.They both refer to the relationship in quantity,amount,or size between two or more things.The following expressions are often used to describe ratio and proportion:
The ratio of money supply to GDP is two to one.
The ratio between…and…is…
The proportion of…to…is…
…is proportional to…
…is directly/inversely proportional to…
…is in proportion to…
…is directly/inversely related to…
…is correlated to…
Online Library
You may log onto the following websites for more data and information of the lecture topic:
www.bloomberg.com
www.economist.com
www.euromoney.com
www.ft.com
www.ibtimes.com
www.invespedia.com
www.knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu
www.wsj.com