The verbs we can use to describe trends are very colourful and metaphorical. There are plenty of synonyms we can use to describe a given trend. By way of example, consider 'to rocket', a clear analogy to the vertical trajectory of flight of a rocket at lift-off, or 'to seesaw' (which refers to a device we can find in every playground) and its up and down movement. Some verbs have their noun equivalent, e.g. 'to increase' - 'an increase'. When we describe a degree by which something has risen or fallen, we use verbs followed by adverbs, or adjectives followed by nouns, e.g. [ verb+adverb] The number of new cars sold last month increased significantly . [adjective+noun] There was a significant increase in the number of cars sold last month

Trends can be described more fully by adding adjectives or adverbs which underline their intensity:

degrees of change

adjectives:	considerable	dramatic	significant	sharp	slight	moderate	substantial
adverbs:	considerably	dramatically	significantly	sharply	slightly	moderately	substantially

speed of change

adjectives:	quick	steady	rapid	abrupt	sudden	slow	gradual
adverbs:	quickly	steady	rapidly	abruptly	suddenly	slowly	gradually

The following prepositions are used when showing change:

• indicating the difference between the beginning and end of the period in question, use . from . to . . E.g. Profits have gone up from £2.5m to £3.5m or
  Profits have gone up from May to July.
• giving the end figure use . to. (after verbs indicating movement), e.g. Profits rose 9 per cent to £3.7bn.
• giving the amount by which a figure rises or falls, use . by . [=um], e.g. Our earnings grew by 15 per cent last year.
  Mixing by with to may result in an unintended result. Compare the following:
  Life expectancy increased by 2.8 years for men, and 3.2 years for women, and
  Life expectancy increased to 2.8 years for men, and 3.2 years for women.
• Giving a figure after a noun, use . of ., e.g. There has been a decrease in annual turnover of £5m.
• Giving the end figure, use . at. after verbs indicating no movement ( to stand or to be ), e.g. Last quarter profits stood at $12m.