The ‘great grid upgrade’ is off track – ministers should spell out the risks for bills
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EN: The idiom 'go according to plan' means to happen or progress as planned or intended. It is frequently used in the negative form ('not going according to plan') in the present continuous tense to describe an ongoing situation or project encountering difficulties.
Despite our best efforts, the launch is not going according to plan.
EN: Compound noun modification: Multiple nouns and adjectives ('major', 'grid', 'upgrade') can precede a head noun ('programme') to specify its purpose, creating a concise technical subject phrase.
The city's rapid transit expansion project will take five years.
EN: In British English, 'programme' is spelled with '-mme' when referring to public schemes, broadcasts, or schedules (reserving 'program' mainly for computer code). The UK's 'national grid' upgrade is a major political issue as the nation attempts to transition to renewable energy targets by 2030 while keeping household bills manageable.
EN: Non-defining relative clauses (set off by commas) provide extra, non-essential information about a noun. The relative pronoun 'which' refers back to 'The programme' and functions as the subject inside the relative clause.
The hospital, which opened last year, provides free healthcare to local residents.
EN: The passive pattern 'be expected to + base verb' is used to talk about anticipated events, costs, or schedules based on current forecasts or expectations.
The new bridge is expected to reduce traffic congestion significantly.
EN: British English spelling uses '-ise' (modernise) and the British noun 'programme' (with -mme). In the UK, major state-level infrastructure projects often involve national grid updates to transition towards net-zero carbon energy, funded partially via household electricity bills.
EN: The reporting verb 'reveal' is followed by a 'that'-clause functioning as a noun clause (direct object). Inside this clause, two independent clauses are coordinated by the conjunction 'and': 'costs are rising' and 'many projects are running behind schedule'. Both use the present continuous tense ('are rising', 'are running') to describe current, ongoing trends.
A recent survey has shown that prices are increasing and sales are dropping.
EN: The idiom 'run behind schedule' means to be late or delayed past the planned completion time. The opposite is 'run ahead of schedule', while meeting the target time is 'be on schedule'.
The train is running twenty minutes behind schedule due to heavy snow.
EN: In the UK and other Commonwealth systems, an 'audit report' from an independent public watchdog (like the UK's National Audit Office) plays a crucial constitutional role in scrutinising government spending, holding ministers accountable to Parliament and taxpayers.
EN: The phrasal verb 'call for' means to publicly demand or urge that an action be taken. It is followed by a noun or noun phrase as its object (e.g., 'call for transparency').
Environmental groups have called for stricter limits on industrial emissions.
EN: A contact clause (reduced relative clause) occurs when a relative pronoun such as 'that' or 'which' is omitted. In 'the risks [that] this programme poses to household energy bills', the clause modifies 'risks', and the verb 'pose' commonly collocates with 'risk' ('pose a risk to...').
We must consider the challenges this new policy creates for small businesses.
EN: The National Audit Office (NAO) is an independent UK parliamentary body responsible for scrutinising public spending. Its reports often hold significant political weight regarding government efficiency and accountability.
EN: The passive pattern 'be considered + adjective/noun' means people regard the subject as having a certain quality. Here, 'is considered essential' expresses a widely held view without mentioning the specific agent.
Regular exercise is considered vital for mental health.
EN: The subordinating conjunction 'because' introduces an adverbial clause of reason, explaining why the main clause occurs. Inside this clause, 'want + to-infinitive' shows intention.
She started early because she wanted to avoid the traffic.
EN: 'Clean power by 2030' is a flagship political target in the UK, aiming to decarbonise the electricity grid largely through offshore wind, solar, and nuclear power. Achieving this requires massive upgrades to transmission lines to move renewable electricity from coastal areas to major cities.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'Out of [number/group]' is frequently used at the beginning of a sentence to specify a total quantity or pool from which a specific portion is selected or discussed.
Out of thirty applicants, only three were invited for an interview.
EN: The main clause uses the present perfect passive voice ('have already been completed'). The structure 'have/has + been + past participle' describes an action that has been finished prior to the present moment, placing emphasis on the result rather than the actor.
Five new stations have already been built along the rail line.
EN: In news and official reporting, placing the fraction or ratio upfront (e.g., 'Out of X, Y have...') is a standard rhetorical technique to highlight low completion rates or implementation gaps without directly expressing editorial opinion.
EN: Present Perfect Passive ('have been' + past participle): Combines the present perfect tense with the passive voice. It shows that an action was completed prior to now by an unspecified agent and remains relevant to the current situation.
Several documents have been classified as confidential by the committee.
EN: Collocation 'be classified as': Often used in formal or technical contexts to indicate the category, role, or status assigned to something or someone.
The species has been classified as endangered.
EN: In UK energy and climate policy, 'clean power' refers to generating electricity without burning unabated fossil fuels, primarily using wind, solar, and nuclear power. The UK government has set an ambitious target to decarbonise its electricity grid by 2030, making grid upgrades a frequent topic of debate regarding infrastructure readiness and consumer energy costs.
EN: The preposition 'of' at the beginning of a clause is often used in a partitive construction ('Of [set], [subset]...'), highlighting a portion taken from a broader group.
Of the 100 applicants, only five were selected for the interview.
EN: The passive pattern 'be forecast to do something' is commonly used in news and formal reports to describe expected future trends or outcomes based on current data.
The economy is forecast to grow by 2% next year.
EN: In major public infrastructure governance in the UK, reports by audit bodies like the National Audit Office (NAO) frequently scrutinise whether projects meet statutory deadlines. The verb 'deliver' is standard public policy terminology for completing a public project or providing public infrastructure as planned.
EN: The passive structure 'be expected to + verb' is commonly used in news and formal reports to express projections, forecasts, or anticipated outcomes based on current evidence.
The new subway line is expected to open next autumn.
EN: The phrase 'less than' functions as a quantifier modifier meaning 'fewer than' or 'not as much as', followed here by a duration of time ('one year') modifying the adjective 'late' to indicate the extent of the delay.
The flight was delayed by less than thirty minutes.
EN: A noun clause introduced by 'that' functions as the direct object of a reporting verb like 'said'. In this structure, 'that' connects the main clause ('The National Audit Office said') to the reported statement ('the government and its energy bodies must be more open about costs'). In spoken or informal English, 'that' is frequently omitted, but it is standard in formal journalism.
The committee reported that the new policy would reduce inflation.
EN: The adjective 'open' is paired with the preposition 'about' to describe being honest, frank, or communicative regarding a specific subject ('open about costs'). The modal verb 'must' indicates a strong requirement or necessity, followed by the base form of the copular verb 'be'.
Companies need to be open about their environmental impact.
EN: The National Audit Office (NAO) is an independent UK parliamentary body responsible for scrutinising public spending. Unlike government departments, it operates independently of ministers to hold the government accountable to taxpayers.
EN: The verb 'deserve' is followed by a to-infinitive ('to know') to express what someone ought to receive or experience because of their qualities or actions.
Students deserve to receive clear feedback on their work.
EN: Indirect questions (embedded wh-clauses) follow statement word order (wh-phrase + subject + verb) instead of question word order. Here, 'how much this infrastructure programme will really cost them' serves as the object of 'know'.
I wonder how much this laptop will cost after tax.
EN: In the UK, major energy infrastructure projects are frequently funded through network charges added directly to domestic household energy bills. Therefore, public scrutiny bodies like the National Audit Office often refer to the public as 'consumers' rather than just 'taxpayers', highlighting their direct financial stake in energy policy decisions.
EN: The reporting verb 'noted' is followed by a 'that'-clause functioning as the direct object (noun clause), which expresses the content or information reported.
The study noted that regular exercise improves mental health.
EN: The conditional clause 'if problems are not addressed soon' uses the first conditional pattern (passive voice in present tense) to describe a realistic future condition and its potential result ('could continue to grow').
If the leak is not fixed soon, the water damage will get worse.
EN: In British public policy discourse, expressions like 'the 2030s' and 'infrastructure budget' reflect long-term capital planning cycles and the scrutiny applied by independent watchdog bodies such as the National Audit Office.
EN: The sentence uses the present perfect passive ('have been urged'). This tense combines the present perfect (have/has + past participle) with the passive voice (be + past participle) to describe an action that occurred at an unspecified time before now, emphasizing the receiver of the action rather than the agent.
Local residents have been warned about the incoming storm.
EN: The pattern 'urge someone to do something' becomes 'be urged to do something' in the passive voice. The to-infinitive acts as an objective complement (or subject complement in passive) indicating the recommended action.
The company was urged to cut carbon emissions.
EN: In the UK parliamentary system, 'Ministers' (members of the government appointed by the Prime Minister) are directly accountable to Parliament and the public for government spending and major infrastructure projects.
EN: The verb 'warn' is often followed by a that-clause acting as a noun clause (direct object) to explain the content of the warning: 'warn (someone) that + clause'.
Doctors have warned that lack of sleep can harm your immune system.
EN: The noun 'ability' is commonly followed by a to-infinitive ('ability to do something') to specify the action or capability being referred to.
Regular practice will improve your ability to speak English fluently.
EN: In the UK energy policy discourse, 'the grid' refers to the National Grid, which transmits high-voltage electricity across England, Scotland, and Wales. Upgrading the grid is critical for connecting offshore wind farms in the North Sea to major population centres in the south.
EN: This sentence uses the First Conditional (real conditional) pattern: 'If + Present Simple, Modal (cannot) + Base Verb'. It describes a very realistic condition and its direct future consequence or limitation.
If the train does not arrive on schedule, we cannot catch our flight.
EN: The main clause employs the modal passive voice structure: 'modal auxiliary (cannot) + be + past participle (delivered)'. This is used to focus on the action happening to the subject ('wind and solar power') rather than who performs it.
Fresh supplies cannot be delivered without proper road maintenance.
EN: In modern energy policy discussions, 'infrastructure' typically refers to the national power grid (transmission cables, substations, pylons). In Britain, achieving 'clean power' heavily depends on connecting offshore wind farms in the North Sea to inland populated centers.
EN: The Present Perfect tense with 'not yet' ('has not yet + past participle') is used to express that an action has not happened up to the present moment, but is expected to happen in the future.
The company has not yet announced its annual financial results.
EN: The prepositional collocation 'respond to [something]' means to reply or react to something. It is often followed by an adverbial phrase like 'in detail' (thoroughly, with all specifics).
She responded to the allegations in detail during the press conference.
EN: In Westminster-style political reporting, when an official watchdog (such as the UK National Audit Office) publishes a critical report, the phrase 'has not yet responded in detail' typically signals that a formal parliamentary or ministerial response is expected soon, rather than outright refusal to comment.
EN: The phrase 'remain committed to' uses the linking verb 'remain' followed by the adjective 'committed', where 'to' acts as a preposition (not an infinitive marker). Therefore, it must be followed by a noun, noun phrase, or gerund (-ing form).
The company remains committed to reducing its carbon emissions.
EN: The structure 'keep + object + prepositional phrase' (keep costs under control) expresses maintaining a specific state or condition for the object.
We need to keep the project on schedule.
EN: In UK political and public discourse, 'clean power by 2030' refers to a flagship national initiative to decarbonize electricity generation, making it a frequent topic of debate concerning infrastructure spending versus household energy costs.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
happening as expected or intended
to progress more slowly than originally planned; to be delayed
to create or represent a potential danger or threat
energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power
being well managed and prevented from becoming worse or excessive