The Australian reports ‘widespread errors’ in BoM temperature data. Where is the evidence for...
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EN: The preposition 'by' is commonly used after verbs of increase or decrease (e.g., 'warm', 'rise', 'fall', 'decrease') to indicate the specific margin, extent, or degree of change.
Global sea levels rose by nearly 20 centimeters over the past century.
EN: The present perfect tense ('has warmed') is combined with the prepositional phrase 'since [point in time]' to describe an ongoing action or trend that started in the past and continues to the present day.
The company's revenue has grown consistently since 2015.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'according to [source]' is a standard journalistic structure used to attribute factual claims, statistics, or reports to an authoritative entity or dataset.
According to the latest census data, the metropolitan population is expanding rapidly.
EN: The 'Bureau of Meteorology' (often affectionately referred to in Australia simply as 'the BoM' or 'the Bureau') is Australia's national weather, climate, and water agency. Temperature records dating back to 1910 (the ACORN-SAT dataset) are pivotal and occasionally contentious in Australian climate politics.
EN: Stacked participial modifiers: The noun 'reports' is modified by the past participial phrase 'built on...' (passive meaning, describing what the reports are founded upon), which is followed by the present participial phrase 'alleging...' (active meaning, modifying 'forensic audit' or the reports themselves, indicating an ongoing claim). This layering allows dense information packing characteristic of formal journalism.
The committee issued a statement based on initial findings highlighting significant flaws in the system.
EN: The use of 'so-called' as an epistemic distance marker: Placing 'so-called' before a term indicates that the author or speaker doubts the validity, accuracy, or appropriateness of the label, or wishes to attribute the wording entirely to external sources without endorsing it.
The so-called peace plan was immediately rejected by international diplomats as unworkable.
EN: The Australian is Australia's only national broadsheet daily newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. It has historically given substantial platform to climate change skepticism and scrutinised official scientific bodies such as the Bureau of Meteorology.
EN: Post-positive adjective modification with degree adverb: 'claims this sweeping'. The demonstrative adverb 'this' modifies the adjective 'sweeping' (meaning 'to this extent/degree'), and the entire adjective phrase post-modifies the noun 'claims'. This is a more concise and emphatic variation of 'claims that are this sweeping'.
Decisions this critical should never be rushed without proper consultation.
EN: Adverbial clause of contrast using 'while': Here, 'while' functions as a subordinating conjunction introducing a contrasting situation or reaction occurring simultaneously in the public sphere, equivalent to 'whereas'.
Scientists urged cautious restraint, while several politicians immediately demanded emergency funding.
EN: Phrasal verb 'call for': In formal and journalistic contexts, 'call for' means to publicly demand, require, or advocate for a specific action, policy, or inquiry.
Human rights advocates have repeatedly called for an impartial inquiry into the incident.
EN: Tony Abbott, who served as Prime Minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015, has long been a prominent figure in Australian climate politics. Known for his climate scepticism—once famously describing climate science as 'crap'—his intervention in calling for an independent review reflects persistent political contention over the Bureau of Meteorology's historical climate data and warming records in Australia.
EN: Present participle clauses (participial phrases) like 'Responding on Thursday night' and 'dismissing claims...' function as adverbial modifiers. Here, the introductory participle sets the temporal and situational context, while the trailing participle depicts a concurrent or resultant action with the same logical subject ('the bureau').
Addressing the press conference, the spokesperson defended the policy, highlighting its long-term economic benefits.
EN: The phrasal verb 'stem from' means to originate or develop as the result of something. It is followed by a noun phrase or gerund and is commonly used in formal and academic writing to describe causal relationships.
Much of the current tension stems from a failure to communicate key objectives early on.
EN: The construction 'dismiss something as [adjective/noun]' expresses rejecting an idea, statement, or suggestion as being unworthy of serious consideration due to a specified defect.
The committee dismissed the allegations as completely unfounded.
EN: In Australian political discourse, debates over climate change methodology frequently become high-profile public controversies. Media outlets like 'The Australian' have often scrutinized the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) over how historic weather records are homogenized, leading government scientific bodies to adopt firm, formal language ('unsubstantiated', 'insisted') to defend institutional credibility.
EN: The present perfect tense ('have targeted') combined with a duration marker ('for more than fifteen years') emphasizes an action or continuous pattern of behavior that began in the past and persists into the present moment.
Regulators have scrutinized the company's financial dealings for over a decade.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'behind them' acts as a post-modifying adjective phrase for 'the methodology', identifying the underlying rationale, mechanisms, or principles supporting the records.
The science behind the new vaccine is based on decades of mRNA research.
EN: Notice the spelling 'sceptics' with a 'c', which follows British and Australian English orthography, in contrast to the American English spelling 'skeptics' with a 'k'. In the context of Australian public debate, climate sceptics frequently challenge data homogenization methods used by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
An examination and evaluation of a firm's or individual's financial or other records to derive evidence suitable for use in a court of law or legal proceeding.
To publicly demand or request that something happen or be done.
To be caused by or originate from something.
An impartial assessment or investigation conducted by external experts not affiliated with the organization being scrutinized.