‘British food will disappear’: trade deal after Brexit is hitting UK farmers hard
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EN: The subordinating conjunction 'as' is used here to mean 'because' or 'since', introducing a clause that explains the reason or cause for the main action (the financial crisis). It is commonly used in formal and journalistic registers to establish a direct causal link.
The company decided to downsize as its quarterly profits had plummeted.
EN: The verb 'confront' is a transitive verb meaning to face up to and deal with a problem or difficult situation. In the present continuous tense ('are confronting'), it emphasizes an ongoing, active struggle with a current challenge.
Many coastal cities are confronting the immediate threats of rising sea levels.
EN: The phrase 'flood... with...' is a figurative dynamic verb pattern where 'flood' (normally meaning to overflow with water) is used to describe a large, overwhelming quantity of something entering a place. The preposition 'with' introduces the substance or items that are overwhelming the space.
The customer service department was flooded with complaints after the system outage.
EN: This sentence reflects the ongoing economic and political debates in the United Kingdom following its departure from the European Union (Brexit). Post-Brexit, the UK government signed new free trade agreements with countries like Australia and New Zealand. British farmers have expressed deep concern that these deals lower import tariffs, allowing cheaper agricultural products to enter the UK market, which they argue creates unfair competition due to different production standards and lower costs abroad.
EN: Non-defining relative clauses (introduced by 'who', 'which', etc.) provide extra, non-essential information about a noun and are set off by commas. In this sentence, 'who farms 647 hectares in Wiltshire, south-west England' adds background details about Liz Webster without changing her identity.
Mr. Davies, who has managed the estate for twenty years, is planning to retire next month.
EN: The verb 'witness' can be followed by an object and an objective complement in the form of a past participle (passive voice) or bare infinitive/present participle (active voice). Here, 'witnessed [each beef animal] wiped off' uses the past participle 'wiped' to describe a passive action or state of reduction that happened to the object.
The company witnessed its market share eroded by aggressive foreign competitors.
EN: The phrasal verb 'wipe off' in a financial context means to reduce the value of something by a particular amount. It is often used in passive constructions or as a participle modifying a noun to indicate a sudden or significant loss in value.
Nearly ten billion dollars was wiped off the value of the technology stocks yesterday.
EN: Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in south-west England characterized by its high downland and valleys, historically deeply rooted in agriculture and livestock farming. The mention of 'pounds wiped off each beef animal' reflects the direct, localized economic impact of post-Brexit trade agreements (such as the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement) on traditional British family farms, which struggle to compete with the scale and lower production costs of imported meat.
EN: The non-defining relative clause (reduced here to a participle phrase) 'typically fetching...' is used parenthetically to provide extra, non-essential information about the noun 'livestock'. The verb 'fetch' in this context means to be sold for a particular price.
The antique vase, fetching over ten thousand dollars at auction, was a rare family heirloom.
EN: The phrasal verb 'stem from' means to originate from or be caused by something. It is commonly used in formal and academic registers to trace the root cause of a problem or situation.
Many of the company's current financial difficulties stem from poor management decisions made last year.
EN: The structure 'from [noun] [present participle]' (from Australian imports entering the market) functions as a prepositional object where the participle 'entering' describes the action performed by the noun 'imports'. This acts as a gerund-equivalent clause, focusing on the event as a whole.
The delay resulted from passengers failing to board the plane on time.
EN: The sentence highlights the economic impact of post-Brexit trade deals on British agriculture. The term 'per head' is standard agricultural jargon used when pricing livestock individually. The reference to 'Australian imports' reflects the controversial UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which British farmers argue allows cheaper, lower-standard meat to undercut domestic produce.
EN: The clause 'should current trends persist' is an inverted conditional clause, equivalent to 'if current trends should persist'. In formal and literary English, 'if' can be omitted, and the auxiliary verb 'should' is inverted with the subject to express a hypothetical or conditional situation.
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EN: The reporting verb 'cautioned' is followed by a 'that'-clause functioning as the direct object, which reports the content of the warning. This structure is common in formal reporting and journalism to convey a serious warning or prediction.
The economist cautioned that inflation could rise rapidly in the coming months.
EN: The modal verb 'would' is used here in the 'that'-clause to express a future-in-the-past or a hypothetical result of a condition (the inverted 'should' clause), indicating what would happen if the trends were to continue.
She believed that the project would succeed if they secured enough funding.
EN: This sentence reflects the ongoing post-Brexit agricultural debate in the United Kingdom. British farmers face intense competition from cheaper agricultural imports due to new free trade agreements (such as those with Australia). The term 'mainstream supermarkets' refers to major UK grocery chains (like Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Asda) which dominate the food retail market and dictate pricing, heavily influencing the viability of domestic farming.
EN: The use of 'would' in noun clauses content-dependent on a past-tense reporting verb (argued) represents the 'future-in-the-past'. It projects a future outcome from a past perspective.
The economists predicted that inflation would stabilize by the end of the fiscal year.
EN: The adjective 'accessible' is followed by a reduced relative clause ('accessible only to...'), which functions as a post-positive modifier modifying 'a niche product'. This is a shortened form of 'which is accessible only to...'.
The summit is a remote area, accessible only to experienced climbers.
EN: The present participle phrase 'willing to pay premium prices' acts as an adjectival modifier describing 'wealthy consumers'. It is equivalent to the relative clause 'who are willing to pay...'.
The company is looking for candidates willing to travel internationally.
EN: The sentence reflects the post-Brexit agricultural debate in the UK. British farmers, facing high domestic standards and costs, worry that free trade agreements (like those with Australia) will allow cheaper, lower-standard imports to undercut them, turning high-quality British produce into a luxury 'niche' item that only the wealthy can afford, while the general public consumes cheaper imports.
EN: The use of 'meaning' as a participle clause (or free adjunct) to introduce a logical consequence of the entire preceding clause. It functions similarly to ', which means that...'.
The company decided to automate its production line, meaning fewer manual labor jobs would be available.
EN: The contrastive structure 'A rather than B' is used to reject alternative B and emphasize that alternative A is the correct one. When used as a subject, the verb agrees with A.
It is the consumers rather than the manufacturer who benefit most from this price war.
EN: The linking verb 'remain' followed by an adjective ('unchanged') to describe a continuing state. The adverb 'broadly' modifies the adjective to mean 'generally' or 'mostly'.
Despite the political turmoil, the country's economic policies have remained broadly stable.
EN: This sentence reflects the ongoing economic tensions in post-Brexit British agriculture. While trade deals with countries like Australia allow cheaper meat to enter the UK, consumers do not see lower prices at supermarkets. Instead, major supermarket chains (retailers) absorb the lower costs to increase their own profit margins, leaving both domestic farmers and consumers disadvantaged.
EN: The verb 'extend' is used here intransitively to describe the scope or reach of an effect, damage, or influence, often paired with prepositions like 'beyond' or 'to'.
The influence of this artistic movement extends far beyond Europe.
EN: The adverb 'well' is used as an intensifier before prepositions (like 'beyond', 'above', 'below', 'before', 'after') to mean 'significantly' or 'to a great extent'.
The final cost of the project was well above the original budget.
EN: The noun 'sector' refers to a distinct part or branch of a nation's economy or society (e.g., the public sector, the agricultural sector). In this context, 'the beef sector' refers specifically to the industry involved in producing and selling beef.
The technology sector has seen rapid growth over the past decade.
EN: The past participle phrase 'published last year' acts as an adjective modifying the noun phrase 'A comprehensive study'. This is a reduced relative clause, shortened from 'which was published last year'.
The report released yesterday highlights the urgent need for economic reform.
EN: The past perfect tense ('had plummeted') is used to indicate an action that was completed before another action in the past (the revealing of the study, which is in the simple past 'revealed').
By the time the police arrived, the thieves had already escaped.
EN: The preposition 'by' is used to express the margin or degree of change, followed by a quantity or fraction (e.g., 'by nearly half', 'by 20%').
The company's profits increased by thirty percent this quarter.
EN: This sentence reflects the severe economic impact of post-Brexit trade barriers on British agriculture. The 'European Union' (EU) was historically the largest and most seamless market for British agricultural exports. Following Brexit, the introduction of customs checks, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls, and paperwork led to a drastic decline in export volumes, particularly in perishable goods like farmed food and livestock.
EN: The adverb 'Simultaneously' is used as a sentence connector to indicate that two events are happening at the exact same time. It is often placed at the beginning of a sentence followed by a comma to establish a temporal link with the preceding sentence.
Simultaneously, the central bank raised interest rates to curb inflation.
EN: The conjunction 'while' is used here to express contrast between two simultaneous facts or trends, rather than just a temporal relationship. It connects two independent clauses of equal grammatical weight.
The tech sector experienced rapid growth, while traditional manufacturing continued to decline.
EN: The preposition 'by' is used with percentages and fractions (e.g., 'by thirty-five percent', 'by a third') to indicate the margin or degree of change (increase or decrease) relative to the original amount.
The company managed to reduce its carbon emissions by forty percent within three years.
EN: This sentence describes the economic fallout of post-Brexit trade agreements on British agriculture. The sharp decline in both the value and variety of exports to the European Union highlights the administrative and logistical barriers introduced after the UK left the EU single market and customs union, which previously allowed frictionless trade.
EN: The past participle phrase 'conducted by...' acts as an adjective modifying the noun 'Analysis'. This is a reduced relative clause, shortened from 'Analysis which was conducted by...'.
The survey conducted by the research team revealed unexpected consumer trends.
EN: The preposition 'by' is used to indicate the specific amount or degree of change (increase or decrease) after verbs like 'drop', 'fall', 'rise', or 'increase'.
The company's annual revenue increased by fifteen percent compared to last year.
EN: The absolute construction 'with + noun + participle/adjective' is used here to provide accompanying circumstances or additional details that support the main clause.
The storm passed quickly, with the sun finally breaking through the heavy clouds.
EN: The 'National Farmers' Union' (NFU) is the leading trade association for farmers in England and Wales. In the context of post-Brexit trade, the NFU has been highly vocal about the challenges faced by British agriculture, particularly regarding competition from tariff-free imports from countries like Australia and New Zealand, which operate under different regulatory and cost structures.
EN: Negative Inversion with 'Not only': When a sentence begins with a negative adverbial phrase like 'Not only', the subject and the auxiliary verb are inverted (subject-auxiliary inversion). This structure is used for emphasis and is common in formal or literary contexts.
Not only did they lose the contract, but they also had to pay a hefty fine.
EN: The idiom 'bear the brunt of': To bear the brunt of something means to suffer the worst or main force of an adverse blow, impact, or situation.
Small businesses bore the brunt of the economic recession.
EN: The idiom 'feel the sting': To feel the sting of something means to experience the painful, unpleasant, or negative consequences of an event or action.
Middle-class families are beginning to feel the sting of rising inflation.
EN: The past perfect tense ('had already added') is used here to describe an action that was completed before a specific point in the past (the time when the study was conducted in 2023).
By the time the report was published, inflation had already reached a record high.
EN: The noun clause introduced by 'that' acts as the direct object of the reporting verb 'estimated', indicating the content of the estimation.
Experts estimated that the new policy would boost economic growth by two percent.
EN: The preposition 'across' is used to mean 'in every part of' a country or region, emphasizing widespread impact.
The storm caused widespread power outages across the state.
EN: The term 'Brexit' (a portmanteau of 'British' and 'exit') refers to the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, which became official on January 31, 2020. This event has had profound and ongoing economic consequences, particularly regarding trade barriers, labor shortages, and food import costs within the UK.
EN: The sentence uses an inverted conditional structure (also known as 'had/were/should inversion') to express a hypothetical situation in the future (Second Conditional). 'Were the government to reconsider' is a formal, literary equivalent of 'If the government were to reconsider'. This structure elevates the register and emphasizes the hypothetical nature of the condition.
Were they to accept our proposal, we would begin the project immediately.
EN: The adverb 'yet' is used here to mean 'still' or 'even now, despite what has happened.' It is placed before the main verb 'find' to indicate that although the situation is difficult, a positive outcome remains a possibility.
Despite the setbacks, we may yet succeed in achieving our goals.
EN: The modal verb 'might' combined with the bare infinitive 'find' expresses a tentative possibility. It suggests that the outcome is possible but not guaranteed, which fits the cautious tone of analytical journalism.
With proper funding, the research team might discover a cure.
EN: This sentence reflects the ongoing debate in post-Brexit United Kingdom regarding agricultural policy. Following its exit from the European Union, the British government signed independent free trade agreements with countries like Australia. British farmers argue these deals undercut domestic standards and prices, leading to calls for the government to reconsider its trade policy framework to protect local agriculture.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'without + noun' is used here as a conditional shorthand, equivalent to 'if there is no intervention' or 'if we do not intervene'. It sets up a hypothetical condition.
Without immediate funding, the research project will be suspended.
EN: The noun 'prospect' is followed by the preposition 'of' and a gerund phrase ('homegrown produce becoming...'). In this structure, 'homegrown produce' acts as the subject of the gerund 'becoming'.
The prospect of the company expanding into Asia excited the investors.
EN: The linking verb 'appears' is followed by a predicate adjective phrase 'increasingly plausible'. 'Increasingly' is an adverb modifying the adjective 'plausible', indicating a growing degree of credibility or likelihood.
His explanation of the events appears highly plausible.
EN: This sentence reflects the ongoing post-Brexit debate in the UK regarding food security and agricultural sustainability. 'Homegrown produce' carries a strong cultural value of supporting local British farmers and maintaining high animal welfare and environmental standards, which many fear are being compromised by cheaper, lower-standard imports from trade deals.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
To suffer the worst part of an unpleasant situation or impact.
To experience the painful or unpleasant effects of something.
To be caused by something; to originate from a specific source.
A product that is made and marketed for use in a small, specialized section of the population.