‘It really hammers people’: Scottish islanders hit by highest diesel prices in UK
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EN: The conjunction 'as' is used here to mean 'while' or 'at the same time that', introducing a subordinate adverbial clause showing two actions happening simultaneously or causally.
As living costs increase, more families are cutting back on luxuries.
EN: The superlative adjective form 'the highest' is used with a definite article 'the' to compare three or more items, followed by a prepositional phrase ('in the UK') specifying the domain or group.
This company offers the highest salary in the region.
EN: In the UK, island communities such as Shetland and the Hebrides often suffer from significantly higher fuel and grocery prices due to ferry transport costs and a lack of supermarket competition, making energy costs a major political and economic issue.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'According to...' is used to cite an external source or authority. It is typically placed at the beginning of the sentence followed by a comma.
According to the weather forecast, it will rain tomorrow.
EN: The Present Perfect tense ('has reached') is formed with 'has/have + past participle'. It indicates an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past and has an important result or relevance to the present situation.
Inflation has reached an all-time high this year.
EN: In the UK, fuel is traditionally priced in pence per litre (p/litre), where 100 pence equals 1 pound (£1). The RAC (Royal Automobile Club) is a prominent automotive services company that regularly monitors and publishes national fuel pricing data.
EN: The preposition 'for' is used here to indicate price or cost (e.g., 'sold for [price]'). 'More than' acts as a comparative modifier meaning 'over' or 'exceeding'.
He bought the rare book for more than fifty dollars.
EN: The indefinite article 'a' (or 'an') can be used in rates and measurements with the meaning of 'per' or 'each' (e.g., 'a litre' = 'per litre', 'twice a day' = 'twice per day').
Apples cost three pounds a kilo at the local market.
EN: In the UK, fuel prices are customarily quoted in pence per litre (p/litre), rather than pounds, even when the price exceeds 100 pence (equivalent to £1.00). Shetland and the Hebrides are remote island communities off the Scottish coast, where high transport costs and limited local competition often make consumer goods and fuel significantly more expensive than on the UK mainland.
EN: The conjunction 'because' introduces an adverbial clause of reason. Here, two parallel clauses ('there is little competition' and 'shipping fuel... is expensive') are joined by 'and' under the same 'because' clause to explain why prices are higher.
He stayed home because it was raining and he felt unwell.
EN: Gerund phrases (verb + -ing) can function as the subject of a clause and take a singular verb. In 'shipping fuel to remote areas is expensive', the entire phrase acts as a singular subject governing the singular linking verb 'is'.
Traveling to foreign countries broadens your horizons.
EN: In the UK, island communities like Shetland or the Hebrides frequently suffer from the 'island premium'—higher prices for goods, food, and fuel due to ferry logistics and a lack of large supermarket or petrol station chains.
EN: The conjunction 'that' is often omitted after reporting verbs like 'say', 'think', or 'believe' in informal and journalistic styles, introducing a noun clause that functions as the direct object.
Locals believe the new policy will improve public transportation.
EN: The present continuous tense ('are affecting') is used here to describe an ongoing, evolving situation happening around the present time.
High inflation is affecting family budgets across the country.
EN: In the UK, particularly in remote regions such as the Scottish islands, fuel delivery incurs high transport surcharges. Because these communities heavily rely on ferries and road transit for essential supplies, oil price spikes have an immediate ripple effect on all aspects of daily life.
EN: Non-defining relative clause (introduced by 'who'): It provides extra, non-essential information about a specific proper noun ('Adam') and is separated by commas.
Sarah, who works at the local clinic, commutes by bicycle every day.
EN: Noun clause as direct object (introduced by 'that'): Used after reporting verbs like 'said' to report what someone stated.
The manager said that the project would finish on time.
EN: In the UK, fuel prices are commonly quoted in 'pence per litre' on petrol station signs, but high prices over 100 or 200 pence are often converted and expressed in pounds (e.g., £2.28 / litre). Remote Scottish islands face exceptionally high prices due to transport logistics and lack of filling station competition.
EN: The causative structure 'make + object + adjective' expresses that a cause leads someone or something to enter a particular state. Here, 'makes' takes 'commute' as its object, followed by the adjective 'costly' acting as the object complement.
The heavy rain made the mountain road dangerous for drivers.
EN: Compound adjectives with hyphens: When measurements or descriptions precede a noun to modify it, they are often hyphenated (e.g., '45-mile', 'round-trip'). Note that units remain singular (e.g., 'mile', not 'miles').
She took a two-hour direct flight to Paris.
EN: In rural and remote parts of the UK, such as the Scottish islands (like North Uist), public transport can be limited or nonexistent, making residents completely dependent on private cars. A '45-mile round-trip' commute is common across dispersed island communities, so fuel price surges directly and heavily impact daily household budgets.
EN: Present participle clause ('adding that...'): A participial phrase functioning as an adverbial modifier of attendant circumstance, indicating an action happening at the same time as the main reporting verb 'said'.
He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
EN: Metaphorical verbs in informal English: 'Skyrocket' means to rise extremely quickly, while 'hammer' (transitive verb) informally means to hit or affect someone very severely and negatively.
High inflation is hammering small businesses across the country.
EN: In rural Scotland and remote island communities (like the Hebrides), almost all goods and fuel must be transported by ferry, which already incurs heavy surcharges. When global oil prices surge, islanders suffer doubly because basic groceries and parcel deliveries include these inflated transportation costs.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
The highest (or lowest) price ever recorded in history
A journey to a given place and back again
Financial difficulties or stress caused by money problems or high living expenses
The cost of energy sources such as petrol or diesel used to run vehicles and machinery