At Cop17, the pressure is on to rescue a deal that could end the destruction of nature
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EN: The phrasal verb 'converge on/upon' means to move toward or meet at a common point from different places. It is followed by a prepositional phrase specifying the destination.
Thousands of activists converged on the city center to protest against climate inaction.
EN: Apposition and Reduced Relative Clauses: 'an environmental summit intended to salvage...' serves as an appositive noun phrase identifying 'Cop17'. Within it, 'intended to' is a reduced past participial phrase functioning as an adjective modifying 'summit' (short for 'which is intended to').
They signed the treaty, an unprecedented agreement intended to curb maritime emissions.
EN: 'COP' stands for 'Conference of the Parties', the supreme decision-making body of conventions organized under the United Nations (such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change or the Convention on Biological Diversity). The number refers to the chronological meeting count (e.g., Cop17).
EN: When a negative or restrictive correlative like 'Not only' begins a clause for rhetorical emphasis, subject-auxiliary inversion is required in that clause (here: 'are' precedes 'the targets set for 2030'). The second clause following 'but (also)' retains standard subject-verb order.
Not only did the team complete the project ahead of schedule, but they also reduced overall costs by twenty percent.
EN: The past participle phrase 'set for 2030' functions as a postpositive reduced relative clause modifying the noun 'targets' (short for 'which were set for 2030').
The guidelines established by the committee must be strictly adhered to by all participants.
EN: The idiomatic phrase 'off course' means deviating from the intended path or schedule. Combined with the adverb 'badly', 'badly off course' indicates a severe discrepancy between planned progress and reality.
Without corrective measures, the economic reform plan is badly off course.
EN: The reference to 'targets set for 2030' and 'nearly 200 nations' points directly to global environmental frameworks, particularly the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Such UN treaties rely on consensus among nearly 200 signatory countries, making multilateral environmental negotiations notoriously slow and contentious.
EN: The conjunction 'as' introduces simultaneous actions or background conditions, effectively meaning 'while' or 'in the context that'. Here, it links two parallel clauses ('budgets tighten' and 'leaders remain preoccupied...') explaining the challenging circumstances under which negotiations take place.
Talks stalled as geopolitical tensions intensified and domestic inflation soared.
EN: The phrase 'complicating any coordinated international policy response' is a present participle clause (-ing form) functioning as a result modifier. It expresses the consequence of the entire preceding situation rather than referring back to a specific single noun.
Severe storms disrupted transport networks across the region, stranding thousands of commuters.
EN: The structure 'remain preoccupied with [noun]' uses the linking verb 'remain' followed by the participial adjective 'preoccupied' and the preposition 'with', indicating a continuous state of having one's attention completely absorbed by specific pressing matters.
European governments remain preoccupied with soaring living costs and supply chain disruptions.
EN: In multilateral environmental diplomacy, international negotiations often compete directly with immediate domestic crises (such as inflation, energy shortages, and geopolitical conflicts). When domestic budgets contract and political capital is consumed by urgent crises, ambitious long-term environmental targets are typically sidelined or compromised.
EN: The idiom 'a glimmer of hope' refers to a very small sign that something might improve or succeed. It is frequently paired with intransitive verbs like 'emerge', 'appear', or 'remain' to signal optimism in otherwise grim or difficult circumstances.
After weeks of deadlocked negotiations, a glimmer of hope emerged when both sides agreed to resume dialogue.
EN: The non-restrictive relative clause introduced by 'when' ('when a Persian leopard... was sighted...') acts as a continuative relative clause modifying the temporal anchor ('a week before the talks'). This allows the narrative to introduce a pivotal new event seamlessly without starting a new sentence.
The team was about to abandon the search, when a faint radio signal was detected from the valley.
EN: The noun phrase 'one of Armenia's rarest animals' functions as an appositive set off by commas, directly identifying and providing background information about 'a Persian leopard'. Appositives are an efficient, concise journalistic technique to give readers critical context without bogging down the main clause.
Dr. Aris Thorne, one of the world's leading climatologists, will deliver the keynote address.
EN: The Persian leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana/ciscaucasica), also known as the Caucasian leopard, is one of the world's most endangered big cats, with only a handful surviving in Armenia's rugged southern mountains. In conservation diplomacy, sightings of such critically endangered apex predators often serve as powerful 'flagship species' symbols, rallying public and governmental support just ahead of major environmental conferences.
EN: The verb 'recall' can take a gerund (-ing form) directly as its object without a preposition ('recalled receiving...'), indicating the retrieval of a past action from memory.
He recalled seeing the rare bird near the edge of the forest early that morning.
EN: The participle clause ', saying it had given her goosebumps' functions as a supplementary participial adverbial, modifying the main clause and indicating an accompanying action or subsequent remark made during the recollection.
The scientist presented her findings to the committee, noting that immediate action was critical.
EN: The past perfect tense ('it had given') inside the reported clause indicates that the sensation of goosebumps occurred prior to the moment she spoke or recalled the event (past relative to a past reference time).
She admitted that the sudden confrontation had frightened her immensely.
EN: The idiom 'give someone goosebumps' refers to the involuntary physiological reaction (piloerection) caused by intense emotions such as fear, awe, excitement, or deep reverence. In conservation contexts, sighting an apex predator like the critically endangered Persian leopard in Armenia—where only a handful are believed to survive—evokes profound awe and emotional relief among local environmentalists.
EN: The sentence begins with an elliptical participial clause ('Once widespread...'), which is a reduced form of 'Once [it was] widespread...'. This structures past state contrast succinctly against the present situation.
Once common in native woodlands, the red squirrel is now critically endangered.
EN: 'See' is used transitively with an inanimate subject ('the species has seen its range shrink...') to express experiencing a historical development or change over time. It is followed by a bare infinitive ('shrink') as an object complement.
The coastal town has seen tourism decline in recent decades.
EN: 'making it...' is a participial clause of result, functioning adverbially to indicate the consequence of the entire preceding main clause. Within it, 'delegates must confront' is a contact clause (zero relative clause) modifying 'crisis'.
Heavy rains flooded the valley, making travel impossible for several days.
EN: The 'Persian leopard' mentioned in the context is a flagship species for conservation in the Caucasus and western Asia. In environmental journalism and diplomatic summits like Cop17, highlighting a specific charismatic, endangered animal serves as an emotional focal point to urge political action on broader biodiversity treaties.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
not following the intended or planned route or direction; failing to meet targets
a very small sign that something might improve or succeed
to cause someone to feel a sudden sensation of excitement, fear, or awe, raising small bumps on the skin
an important and historic agreement that marks a significant turning point