The document describes how to summarize line graphs in 3 sentences or less. It explains identifying the topic, general trends, important data, and using introductory, overview, and detail sentences. The example graph shows the number of visitors to two music websites over 15 days, with Pop Parade decreasing then increasing and Music Choice fluctuating then increasing.

1. Describing Line Graphs
Two Music Websites

2. Introduction
• Identifying the topic
• Identifying the general trends
• The important data
• The two types of sentence
• The description
– The Introductory sentence
– The general trends or overview
– The detail and data
– A summary

3. Identifying the topic
What do the lines
represent?
The number of visitors
to two music websites
The number of visits
to two music websites
The number of people
who visited two music
websites

4. Identifying the general trends
Pop Parade –
Decreased
then Increased
Music Choice –
Fluctuated
then Increased

5. The important data
• Starting point • Pop Parade
• Main trends and – Day 1 – Day 9: 
exceptions 120,000 - 40,000
• High and low points – Day 9 – Day 11:  -
150,000
• Finishing point – Day 11 – Day 13:  -
80,000
– Day 13 – Day 15:  -
160,000

6. The important data
• Pop Parade • Music Choice
– Day 1 – Day 9:  – Day 1 – Day 11:
120,000 - 40,000 40,000 - 20,000
– Day 9 – Day 11:  - (except Day 3: 
150,000 60,000)
– Day 11 – Day 13:  - – Day 11 – Day 14: 
80,000 120,000
– Day 13 – Day 15:  - – Day 15:  80,000
160,000

7. The two types of sentence
Between day 1 and day 9, the number of visits
Time topic
to Pop Parade decreased steadily from 120,000
verb+adverb data
to 40,000.

8. The two types of sentence
Between day 1 and day 9, there was a
Time there to be a
steady decrease in the number of visits
adjective + noun in topic
to Pop Parade from 120,000 data to 40,000.
data

9. The two types of sentence
• Time + topic + verb + adverb + data
• Time + there + to be + a + adjective + noun + in
+ topic + data
Increase/rise/grow/decrease/decline/fall (verbs)
Slightly/steadily/sharply/rapidly/significantly
(adverbs)
Slight/steady/sharp/rapid/significant (adjectives)
Increase/rise/growth/decrease/decline/fall
(nouns)

10. The Introductory sentence
The line graph shows the number of people
type shows topic
who visited two new music websites over a
period of 15 days.
place and time

11. The general Trends or overview
• Pop Parade – Decreased then Increased
• Music Choice – Fluctuated then Increased

12. The Detail and Data
• Pop Parade
– Day 1 – Day 9:  120,000 - 40,000
– Day 9 – Day 11:  - 150,000
– Day 11 – Day 13:  - 80,000
– Day 13 – Day 15:  - 160,000
• Music Choice
– Day 1 – Day 11: 40,000 - 20,000 (except Day
3:  60,000)
– Day 11 – Day 14:  120,000
– Day 15:  80,000

13. A summary
• Pop Parade > Music Choice