UN chief urges Cop31 hosts Turkey and Australia to turn fossil fuel promises into action
Listen to Course
0:00
0:00
EN: The correlative structure 'shift from [X] to [Y]' requires parallel forms. Here, both X and Y are gerund phrases ('debating the end of fossil fuels' and 'actually delivering it'). The preposition 'to' is followed by a gerund, not an infinitive verb.
The company needs to shift from making empty promises to actively reducing emissions.
EN: Apposition: 'co-hosts of Cop31' functions as a non-restrictive appositive noun phrase set off by commas, providing supplementary descriptive information about the compound subject 'Turkey and Australia'.
Paris and Berlin, leading capitals of the European Union, pledged new investments.
EN: Attribution in journalistic syntax: Reporting verbs and their subjects (e.g., 'the United Nations chief insisted') frequently appear at the end of a sentence following the direct or indirect statement, adding dramatic impact and keeping the news hook at the forefront.
Global emissions must peak before 2025, scientists warned.
EN: In UN climate diplomacy, 'Cop' refers to the Conference of the Parties under the UNFCCC. The phrase 'the end of fossil fuels' remains one of the most contentious geopolitical topics at these summits, as fossil fuel-exporting host countries often face intense international pressure to transition from rhetoric to concrete policy implementation.
EN: Present participle clauses (participial phrases) can appear at the beginning or end of a sentence. At the start ('Speaking on Tuesday'), it sets the temporal and situational context. At the end ('urging delegates to...'), it expresses an accompanying action or result performed by the same subject ('António Guterres').
Addressing the assembly, the director unveiled the new policy, urging all departments to comply immediately.
EN: The structure 'treat [something] as [noun/adjective]' expresses how an object is regarded or handled. Combined with modal passive ('should no longer be treated as...'), it formally asserts that a certain perspective or stance toward an issue must cease.
Mental health concerns should no longer be treated as a sign of personal weakness.
EN: Parallel infinitive verbs governed by a single auxiliary or marker ('to organise, [to] finance and [to] deliver') are often coordinated in a tricolon (a set of three) for rhetorical impact, with subsequent 'to' markers omitted for brevity.
The committee aims to design, fund and execute the infrastructure project within two years.
EN: At international climate negotiations (such as COP summits), discussing an outright 'phase-out' of fossil fuels has historically been politically sensitive—virtually a 'taboo'—due to intense opposition from major oil-producing nations. António Guterres's use of the word 'taboo' directly confronts this diplomatic sensitivity, urging delegates to move past evasive rhetoric into concrete financial and operational commitments.
EN: When a negative or restrictive expression like 'Not only' begins a clause, negative inversion is triggered: the auxiliary verb ('are') precedes the subject ('both host nations'). The correlative conjunction 'but (also)' links the two clauses.
Not only did the company miss its quarterly target, but it also laid off hundreds of employees.
EN: The past continuous tense ('was extolling') is employed here to vividly depict an ongoing activity in progress around a specific point in past time ('a day before his scheduled summit appearance'), highlighting a sense of irony or contradiction with the climate summit's goals.
The spokesperson was defending the policy just hours before the prime minister announced its complete repeal.
EN: The sentence highlights the political friction inherent in UN climate summits (such as COP). Host nations are expected to lead global decarbonization efforts, yet both Turkey and Australia have substantial fossil fuel interests (Australia in coal/LNG, Turkey in oil and gas transit/extraction). Praise of oilfields right before a climate summit is widely viewed by environmental diplomats as a direct contradiction of climate commitments.
EN: The Mandative Subjunctive: When verbs expressing demand, recommendation, or insistence (e.g., 'demand', 'insist', 'recommend', 'propose') are followed by a 'that' clause, the verb in the subordinate clause remains in its base form (bare infinitive), regardless of the subject's person or number, and without tense shifting into the past (e.g., 'demanded that the talks conclude', not 'concluded').
The committee demanded that every delegate submit their report before noon.
EN: Appositive Phrase with Relational Nouns: 'Brazil, last year's host, unveiled...' uses the noun phrase 'last year's host' set off by commas as a non-restrictive appositive to immediately provide background context about 'Brazil' without interrupting the narrative flow with a full relative clause.
The proposal by Canada, the summit's co-chair, received broad support.
EN: Nested Modifiers and Prepositional Phrasing: Advanced formal English often piles prepositional phrases and relative clauses to build precise meaning: [clear next steps] + [on the fossil fuel transition roadmap] + [that Brazil... unveiled to delegates]. Each layer narrows down the scope of the objective.
We need definitive action on the biodiversity preservation framework that member states approved last month.
EN: In UN climate diplomacy (such as COP summits), language choice carries immense political weight. The phrase 'roadmap' signifies an agreed timeline with binding commitments rather than vague intentions. Brazil, having hosted COP30 in Belém, positioned itself as a champion of actionable fossil fuel phase-out frameworks, putting moral and diplomatic pressure on subsequent hosts to continue momentum rather than backtrack.
EN: The sentence begins with a past-participial phrase ('Backed by...'), functioning as an adverbial modifier indicating background circumstances, cause, or support. In formal written English, fronting a participial phrase creates a cohesive transition and naturally connects secondary details to the main clause subject ('the outgoing secretary general').
Accompanied by senior diplomats, the foreign minister entered the summit hall to address the delegation.
EN: The prepositional construction 'to + [noun phrase]' expresses accompanying circumstances or resulting reactions to an action, typically indicating how an audience reacted upon the subject's departure or arrival. Here, 'left the stage to rapturous applause' means departed while the audience responded with fervent applause.
The conductor took his final bow to deafening cheers from the audience.
EN: In multilateral diplomacy and international climate summits such as COP, public joint appearances and standing behind prominent figures signify diplomatic unity and political weight. The collocation 'rapturous applause' indicates exceptionally strong emotional endorsement and approval from international delegates, often seen at valedictory speeches of respected global leaders.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
Natural fuel such as coal, oil, or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.
Extremely enthusiastic, loud, and sustained clapping from an audience.
To change focus, direction, or approach from one thing to another.
Supported, endorsed, or promoted by someone or something.