in conclusion a phrase used at the beginning of the final paragraph of an essay or article, when you want to write about the main things that you have mentioned in it:
In conclusion, the results of our study suggest that this type of diet is perfectly safe.
Thus, in conclusion, the population of England remained fairly stable for much of the 15th century.
to summarize / to sum up used when referring to the main things that you have mentioned in it:
To summarize: there are many reasons why people commit crime.
To sum up, in 1922 the Soviet government found itself in a situation similar to the one faced by the Tsars.
STUDY NOTE: Grammar
You use to summarize and to sum up at the start of the final paragraph of an essay or article. They can be followed either by a colon or a comma.
something can be summarized as follows used when saying what you think the main points about something are:
The organization's main aim can be summarized as follows: to create opportunities for students to learn a wide range of computer skills.
The result of the survey can be summarized as follows. Both Japan and Korea show a strong preference for natural gas over oil, coal, and nuclear energy.
the following conclusion(s) may be drawn used when you want to mention something that you think is true because of what has been written earlier in the article or essay:
The following conclusions may be drawn from these figures. Firstly, the US economy is moving out of recession. Secondly, there are no grounds for concern about its immediate future.
With regard to defense measures against attack from the air, the following conclusions may be drawn. The best method of defense is a strong air force. The next requirement is a well-organized observation (radar) and warning system.
the main conclusion to be drawn is that used when you want to mention the main point that you think is true because of what has been written earlier in the article or essay:
The main conclusion to be drawn from this discussion is that the best way to help slow readers is to improve their skill at recognizing individual words.
2. Saying again what your aims were at the conclusion of an essay STUDY NOTE: Grammar
When you are writing the concluding paragraph of an essay, report etc, you often begin by saying what you wanted to achieve when you were writing the essay. The following are some phrases you can use.
the purpose / aim of this ... was to ... used at the end of an essay, article, report, etc, when saying what its purpose was and whether you have succeeded, what you have found, etc:
The aim of this study was to determine whether it is possible to reduce the amount of salt in bread without spoiling its taste.
in this ... I have tried / attempted to ... used at the end of an essay, article, report, etc, when saying what its purpose was and whether you have succeeded, what you have found, etc:
In this essay, I have tried to set out the main events that led to the start of the First World War.
In this report, we have attempted to demonstrate that although nuclear power is cleaner than using gas or coal, it is more expensive in the long-term.
Decreasing
*opposite Increasing
To decrease
To make something decrease
A decrease
When something stops decreasing 1. To decrease
decrease verb [intransitive] to become less in number or amount:
The average rainfall has decreased by around 30 percent.
The total number of people who are unemployed has decreased slightly.
After radiotherapy, the number of tumours decreased significantly.
The effectiveness of the drug gradually decreases.
go down phrasal verb to decrease:
The percentage of fat in our diets has gone down.
As a result of the improvements, complaints from customers went down by more than 70%.
STUDY NOTE: Grammar Decrease is more formal than go down.
If you want to say that something 'has decreased', you can say that it is down, for example: Inflation is down to 4%.
decline verb [intransitive] a formal word meaning to decrease. Decline is used about numbers or amounts, and also about the level or standard of something:
In rural areas, the standard of living continued to decline.
Salaries have effectively declined by around 4.5%.
The rate of inflation has declined sharply in the past year. (=quickly and by a large amount)
Support for the government is steadily declining.
The city has declined in importance.
fall / drop verb [intransitive] to decrease, especially by a large amount:
The number of tigers in the wild has fallen to just over 10,000.
At night, the temperature drops to minus 20 degrees.
Profits fell from £98.5 million to £76 million.
In May, the price of coffee dropped by over 20%..
plunge / plummet verb [intransitive] to suddenly decrease very quickly and by a very large amount:
Gas prices have plunged 31 percent in less than a week.
Sales of red meat are plummeting.
Climate change could cause global temperatures to plummet.
halve verb [intransitive] to decrease by a half:
He expects the number of farms to halve by 2020.
In 1965, 49% of Canadians smoked. This figure has more than halved.
diminish verb [intransitive] to decrease to a low number, amount, or level. Diminish is used about numbers or amounts. It is also used when saying that a feeling becomes less strong, or that something becomes less important:
The numbers of fish have diminished over the years.
The population of the town diminished from 32,000 to 9,000 between 1871 and 1913.
The pain gradually diminished.
Although Campbell's influence had diminished, he continued to speak out against the war.
dwindle verb [intransitive] to gradually decrease until there is very little left of something. Dwindle is used about numbers or amounts. It is also used when saying that something becomes less popular, less important etc:
The birds' numbers have slowly dwindled, until there are now only about 600 left in the world.
Traffic along the canals dwindled during the 20th century.
Support for the theory is dwindling.
2. To make something decrease
reduce verb [transitive] to make something smaller in size, number or amount: