Commercial kitchen staff exposed to high levels of air pollution, study finds
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EN: Present Perfect Tense with Reporting Verb: The structure 'has found that...' uses the present perfect to connect a recently completed scientific study or finding with the present moment, reporting relevant new knowledge.
A recent survey has shown that teenagers spend more time online than ever before.
EN: Noun Clause as Object: The conjunction 'that' introduces a subordinate noun clause ('commercial kitchen staff can breathe...') acting as the direct object of the verb 'found'.
Scientists discovered that some plants communicate through fungal networks.
EN: In the US, commercial kitchens (like restaurants, university dining halls, and hospital cafeterias) frequently rely on gas stoves, raising growing public health concerns regarding indoor air quality and worker safety.
EN: The preposition/participle 'including' is frequently used to introduce specific examples or subsets belonging to a broader category mentioned previously (here, '27 kitchens').
The package includes several items, including a guide book and a map.
EN: Parallel structure in a list: When listing multiple items connected by 'and', keep them grammatically consistent (here, plural noun phrases: 'restaurants', 'school cafeterias', 'universities', and 'homes for older people').
We visited museums, art galleries, and historic parks.
EN: 'Homes for older people' is a polite, descriptive phrasing for senior living communities, retirement homes, or nursing homes, avoiding terms that might sound dated or clinical.
EN: The coordinating conjunction 'but' connects two independent clauses that contrast with each other. A comma is typically placed before 'but' when linking two complete thoughts.
The hotel was very expensive, but the service was terrible.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'above World Health Organization standards' functions as an adjective modifying 'nitrogen dioxide levels' (postpositive modifier). 'Above' is used to indicate a quantity, level, or standard higher than a reference point.
The water temperature was above the recommended limit.
EN: This sentence highlights a regulatory gap: a facility can fully comply with national legal workplace requirements while still exceeding stricter international health guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
EN: The phrase 'every one of + plural noun' emphasizes each individual member of a group. It takes a singular verb in formal contexts, though past tense verbs (like 'cooked') do not change form.
Every one of these students passed the exam.
EN: Compound sentence with the coordinating conjunction 'and'. It links two independent clauses: 'Every one... cooked with gas or propane' and 'this pollution can also affect diners.'
The restaurant changed its equipment, and air quality improved immediately.
EN: In North America, commercial kitchens have traditionally favored natural gas and propane stoves due to fast temperature control and lower operating costs, though recent environmental health studies are driving a shift toward electric and induction cooking.
EN: The conjunction 'because' introduces an adverbial clause of reason ('Because nitrogen dioxide is also found in diesel exhaust'). When the dependent clause comes before the independent main clause, a comma is required between them.
Because it was raining heavily, the match was postponed.
EN: The passive voice structure 'is found' (be + past participle) is used when the focus is on the existence or presence of something rather than who finds it. The present perfect 'have created' emphasizes a completed action in the past that has current relevance or result.
This rare bird is found only in tropical rainforests.
EN: Low-Emission Zones (LEZs) are areas in European cities (such as London's ULEZ or Paris's Crit'Air system) where the most polluting vehicles are regulated, charged, or banned altogether to improve urban air quality.
EN: Passive Voice in the Simple Past (was/were + past participle): Used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action rather than the agent performing it. Here, 'were tested' indicates that the kitchens underwent testing by the researchers.
Several new models were evaluated before the final decision.
EN: Superlative Adjective with 'the' (the + -est / most): Used to compare three or more items to show which has the highest degree of a quality. 'The lowest' compares the pollution level of these kitchens to all others in the study.
This department recorded the lowest turnover rate this year.
EN: The transition to 'all-electric' kitchens (using induction stoves instead of gas) is part of a growing trend in public health and environmental policy to reduce indoor air pollution, notably nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and cut carbon emissions.
EN: The idiom 'for a living' functions as an adverbial phrase meaning as one's profession or job. The phrase 'for hours on end' is another idiom meaning continuously for many hours without interruption.
She plays the piano for a living and practices for hours on end every day.
EN: A non-defining relative clause introduced by 'who' ('who led the study') provides extra, non-essential information about a specific proper noun ('Doctor Drew Michanowicz'). It is separated by a comma.
My brother, who works at a hospital, loves to cook on weekends.
EN: In journalistic English, reporting verbs like 'said' frequently precede the subject ('said Doctor Drew Michanowicz') when followed by a heavy descriptive phrase or relative clause, maintaining sentence flow and placing the description close to the person.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
A professional kitchen set up for food preparation in restaurants, hotels, or institutions.
A reddish-brown poisonous gas, a major air pollutant produced by combustion engines and burning fuels.
A defined area where access by certain polluting vehicles is restricted or deterred to improve air quality.
As one's profession or means of earning money.
For many hours continuously without stopping.