Writing: Do increase and grow in this paragraph have the...

[Tung Quoc]

Hi,

Please read:

According to figures from HCMC Statistics Department in the first 9 months of this year, the city industrial production continuously grew 11.3% in the second quarter over the first quater and 2% in the third quarter against the second quarter. Compared with the same quarter of 1999, the first quarter of this year grew 13.1%, the second quarter 16.2 % and the third quarter 16.4%. In general, the 9-month city industry had a total value of 40.230 biilion VND equal to 73.5 % compared with the whole year plan and increased 15.3%against the same period of 1999.

1/Do increase and grow in this paragraph have the same meaning and are they interchangeable? If not, what is the difference in meaning btw them?

2/Is equal here an adjectif?

Q

[Yankee]

.
1) The words grow and increase could be interchanged here. But the two words are not generally interchangeable.
For example, you can say:
- My children are growing. => This basically means that the children are getting bigger.

- My children are increasing. => This would suggest that the number of children is getting bigger. (i.e. In 2001 we had 3 children and now we have 5 children.)

2) The word equal is an adjective and in the sentence there were some words omitted: "(which is) equal to"

[Conchita]