ENG Review
Graphic and Visual Aids Graphic aids present information in pictorial form or in other specific formats in order to consolidate, clarify, or prove the written material they go with.
Too often graphs, diagrams, charts and tables are casually glanced over or bypassed completely by readers.
Purpose:
Visual aids are designed to summarize information. Sometimes the amount of data is so large that an aid is the only practical way of making the information accessible.
Visual aids allow the writer to explain complex ideas more concretely, and the reader to visualize abstract concepts.
Visuals aids can even present new or additional information to the written text.
The General Strategy for Interpreting Graphs
1. Read the title. It usually tells the topic.
2. Look at the source of the information.
3. Read any accompanying explanation.
4. Read the legend (small explanatory table or list of symbols) if there is one.
5. Read the labels on the parts of the graph.
6. Determine what is being measured or compared and the units of measurement.
7. Look for trends or patterns.
8. Think about how the graph illustrates, clarifies, or proves the material it accompanies.
9. Draw the important conclusions.
Line Graphs, also known as line graphs, are used to represent a trend. A trend is a pattern over an extended period of time. Made of an x axis and y axis, both axes must represent data displayed over a long period.
The x axis usually represents time and the y axis usually represents quantities or amounts. Each axis is given a designation which is broken into increments.
Multiple Line Graphs If there is the need to make a comparison or a contrast of more than one trend over the same period of time, then a multiple line graph is used such as the example on the left.
Bar Graphs
Bar graphs (sometimes called histograms) are used to show a comparison of quantities or amounts in a category. One axis will represent an amount or quantity and the other axis will
Too often graphs, diagrams, charts and tables are casually glanced over or bypassed completely by readers.
Purpose:
Visual aids are designed to summarize information. Sometimes the amount of data is so large that an aid is the only practical way of making the information accessible.
Visual aids allow the writer to explain complex ideas more concretely, and the reader to visualize abstract concepts.
Visuals aids can even present new or additional information to the written text.
The General Strategy for Interpreting Graphs
1. Read the title. It usually tells the topic.
2. Look at the source of the information.
3. Read any accompanying explanation.
4. Read the legend (small explanatory table or list of symbols) if there is one.
5. Read the labels on the parts of the graph.
6. Determine what is being measured or compared and the units of measurement.
7. Look for trends or patterns.
8. Think about how the graph illustrates, clarifies, or proves the material it accompanies.
9. Draw the important conclusions.
Line Graphs, also known as line graphs, are used to represent a trend. A trend is a pattern over an extended period of time. Made of an x axis and y axis, both axes must represent data displayed over a long period.
The x axis usually represents time and the y axis usually represents quantities or amounts. Each axis is given a designation which is broken into increments.
Multiple Line Graphs If there is the need to make a comparison or a contrast of more than one trend over the same period of time, then a multiple line graph is used such as the example on the left.
Bar Graphs
Bar graphs (sometimes called histograms) are used to show a comparison of quantities or amounts in a category. One axis will represent an amount or quantity and the other axis will