Great Britain’s grid operator pays £10m for extra power to avoid supply crunch tonight
Listen to Course
0:00
0:00
EN: The Present Perfect Tense (has/have + past participle) is used here to describe an action that happened in the recent past, where the exact time is not specified, but the result is important to the present situation.
The company has invested millions in renewable energy.
EN: The infinitive 'to avoid' is used as an infinitive of purpose, which explains 'why' the grid operator paid the money. It is equivalent to 'in order to avoid'.
She woke up early to catch the first train.
EN: In the UK, the electricity grid is managed by private and government-regulated bodies. During extreme weather events (like heatwaves or extreme cold), the grid operator must sometimes buy emergency power from neighboring European countries (via undersea cables called interconnectors) at very high prices to prevent blackouts.
EN: The past participle phrase 'known as...' is used as a reduced relative clause (shortened from 'which is known as...') to provide additional information about the noun preceding it.
The local charity, known as Hope, helps homeless people.
EN: The past continuous tense ('was putting') is used to describe an ongoing action or state that was happening at a specific time in the past, often providing background context for another past event.
The company was facing financial difficulties when the new CEO took over.
EN: The National Energy System Operator (Neso) is an independent body responsible for ensuring that Great Britain's electricity and gas systems run safely and reliably. Extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, increasingly challenge modern power grids globally due to the sudden surge in air conditioning use.
EN: The Present Perfect Continuous tense ('have been turning on') is used to describe an action that started in the past and has continued up to the present moment, often emphasizing the ongoing nature or duration of the activity.
They have been working on the project all morning.
EN: The non-defining relative clause introduced by ', which' is used to add extra information about the entire preceding clause rather than just the noun before it. It takes a singular verb ('has increased') because it refers to the whole situation.
He passed the exam, which made his parents very happy.
EN: The relative pronoun 'that' introduces an adjective clause (relative clause) modifying the noun 'notice'. In this sentence, 'that' acts as the subject of the relative clause 'that asked power generators...'.
The company released a report that detailed the financial losses.
EN: The verb 'ask' is used in the pattern 'ask someone to do something', which means to request or direct someone to perform an action.
The manager asked the employees to submit their reports by Friday.
EN: Neso (National Energy System Operator) is the independent body responsible for ensuring that Great Britain's electricity and gas systems run safely and reliably. In extreme weather conditions, such as severe heatwaves or cold snaps, grid operators across Europe often collaborate to balance power loads by importing or exporting electricity through undersea interconnectors.
EN: The verb 'agree' is followed by an infinitive (to + verb) to express consent or a decision to perform an action. This is a common pattern for verbs expressing plans, decisions, or promises.
They agreed to sign the contract tomorrow.
EN: The preposition 'for' is used here to indicate exchange, specifically the price paid in return for a service or commodity (imported electricity).
She bought the book for ten dollars.
EN: The mention of paying high prices for imported electricity from Europe highlights the interconnected nature of the European energy grid. Great Britain (via undersea interconnectors) can trade electricity with neighboring European countries like France, Belgium, and the Netherlands to balance supply and demand during peak times.
EN: To express how many times one thing is greater than another, use the pattern: '[number] times + comparative adjective (e.g., higher/larger) + than'. 'Nearly' can be added before the number to mean 'almost'.
The new model is three times faster than the old one.
EN: The word 'nearly' is an adverb of degree used to modify numbers or quantities, meaning 'almost' or 'not quite but very close to'.
It took nearly two hours to finish the test.
EN: The Passive Voice (be + past participle) is used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action, rather than the doer. In this sentence, 'was cancelled' and 'had been secured' are both passive constructions because the focus is on the warning and the power, not who cancelled or secured them.
The meeting was postponed because the manager was ill.
EN: The Past Perfect Tense (had + past participle) is used to show that an action was completed before another action in the past. Here, 'had been secured' happened before the warning 'was cancelled'.
The train had already left when we arrived at the station.
EN: The conjunction 'both... and...' is used to emphasize that two different things, people, or concepts are included in a statement. It connects two grammatically equal elements (in this case, two proper nouns acting as objects).
The new policy will affect both local businesses and international companies.
EN: The past continuous tense (were affecting) is used here to describe an ongoing action or state that was happening around a specific time in the past, often serving as the background context for another event.
EN: The term 'European continent' (or mainland Europe) is often used in Great Britain to distinguish the continental landmass from the British Isles. This distinction is common in British English, reflecting both geographical and cultural perspectives.
EN: The Past Perfect Tense ('had reduced') is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. In this sentence, the reduction of electricity happened before the spokesperson made the statement (which is in the simple past 'said').
The train had already left when we arrived at the station.
EN: Reduced Relative Clauses with Past Participles: 'produced by wind farms' is a reduced relative clause modifying 'electricity'. It is shortened from 'which was produced by wind farms'. The past participle 'produced' has a passive meaning.
The books written by this author are very popular.
EN: Noun clauses introduced by 'that' function as the direct object of reporting verbs like 'state', 'say', or 'believe'. The conjunction 'that' can often be omitted in informal contexts, but is usually retained in formal writing.
The spokesperson stated that the project was completed on time.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'at risk' is an idiomatic expression meaning 'in a situation where something bad or harmful could happen'. It is commonly used after the verb 'to be'.
Without immediate action, many species will be at risk of extinction.
EN: The infinitive phrase 'to issue a warning' acts as an adjective (adjectival infinitive) modifying the noun 'decision'. It explains what kind of decision is being referred to.
His decision to study abroad surprised everyone.
EN: The verb 'mean' is followed by a noun clause starting with the conjunction 'that' (which can be omitted in informal contexts). This clause functions as the direct object of the verb 'mean' and contains its own subject and verb.
The dark clouds mean that it is going to rain.
EN: The Present Simple tense is used here to describe a permanent fact or state. Since the subject 'Neso' is a singular proper noun (third-person singular), the verb 'manage' takes the suffix '-es' to become 'manages'.
The company operates several factories in Europe.
EN: The Oxford comma (also known as the serial comma) is the comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually 'and' or 'or') in a list of three or more items. In 'England, Scotland, and Wales', the comma after 'Scotland' is the Oxford comma, which helps prevent ambiguity.
She bought apples, bananas, and oranges.
EN: Great Britain consists of three countries: England, Scotland, and Wales. The United Kingdom (UK) includes these three plus Northern Ireland. Neso manages the electricity and gas networks for Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales), but not Northern Ireland, which operates on a different grid system shared with the Republic of Ireland.
EN: The Past Perfect Tense ('had warned') is used to show that an action was completed before another past action or a specific time in the past (in this case, before the events of Wednesday).
By the time the meeting started, the manager had already sent the report.
EN: Future in the Past ('would need') is used to describe an action that was in the future when viewed from a point in the past. It uses 'would' instead of 'will'.
She promised that she would call me the next day.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'Without + noun' is used here to express a conditional idea, equivalent to 'If there were not...' or 'If we didn't have...'. It sets up a hypothetical condition in the present or future.
Without your help, we would not finish the project on time.
EN: The structure 'would + not + be' is used in the main clause of a conditional sentence (Second Conditional) to describe an unlikely or hypothetical situation in the present or future.
If it rained tomorrow, the game would not be held outdoors.
EN: The gerund ('securing') is used here as the object of the preposition 'of'. A gerund is the '-ing' form of a verb that functions as a noun, allowing us to express an action as a concept or activity.
The cost of renting an apartment in the city center is very high.
EN: The multiplier expression 'X times the [noun]' is used to make comparisons of scale or quantity. 'More than' is added before the multiplier to indicate that the amount exceeds that specific multiple.
The new stadium is three times the size of the old one.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
The source of electrical power, or the system that provides electricity to consumers.
To start the operation of an appliance, light, or engine by pushing a button or turning a switch.
An area of land or water with a group of wind turbines used for generating electricity.
In a situation where there is danger of loss, harm, or failure.