Higher training costs for older workers risks plan to tackle youth jobs crisis, employers say
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EN: In news headlines, the conjunction 'that' introducing an object noun clause is almost always omitted for brevity (e.g., 'Employers Warn [that] Higher Training Costs...'). Additionally, headlines commonly use the simple present tense ('Warn') to report recent events.
Experts warn cutting public transit could hurt low-income families.
EN: The modal verb 'could' is used here to express a cautious, tentative possibility or potential future consequence ('might possibly cause harm'), which is softer and less definitive than 'will' or 'can'.
The rising interest rates could reduce consumer spending next quarter.
EN: In UK news headlines, 'Headlinese' style is common: function words like articles ('the', 'a') and conjunctions ('that') are omitted to save space, and headlines use title casing or present tense even for past statements.
EN: The reporting verb 'warn' is followed by a 'that-clause' functioning as the direct object, explaining what the employers are warning about. In this clause, 'that' acts as a subordinating conjunction.
Scientists warned that climate change would cause severe droughts.
EN: The infinitive phrase 'to help young people' functions as an adjective (adjectival infinitive) modifying the preceding noun 'plan', specifying what the plan aims to do.
The government launched a campaign to protect local wildlife.
EN: In the UK, the Apprenticeship Levy is a government tax on large employers to fund workplace apprenticeships. Debates frequently arise regarding whether funding should prioritize school leavers (young people) or reskilling older workers transitioning in their careers.
EN: The verb 'plan' is commonly followed by an infinitive ('to + verb') to express intentions or future arrangements: 'plan to do something'. In this sentence, it appears in the present continuous tense ('are planning to change') to show an ongoing, active plan.
The committee is planning to launch a new environmental program next month.
EN: Non-defining relative clauses are introduced by a comma followed by 'which' (or who/whom/whose). They provide extra, non-essential information about the preceding noun phrase. Here, ', which pays for workers' training' adds explanatory detail about 'the apprenticeship funding system in England'.
He decided to buy the laptop, which offers exceptional battery life.
EN: In the UK political system, education and skills funding policies are devolved. This means the UK central government sets policies specifically for England, while Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland manage their own separate apprenticeship systems. That is why the sentence explicitly specifies 'in England'.
EN: Gerunds (verb + -ing) can function as the subject of a sentence. In this sentence, the entire gerund phrase 'training a worker over the age of 25' acts as the singular subject governing the verb 'would cost'.
Studying abroad opens up many new opportunities for young people.
EN: The verb 'cost' can take a double object structure: 'cost + someone + amount/value', meaning that an action requires someone to spend or lose a specific amount of money, time, or effort.
Repainting the house cost them two thousand dollars.
EN: In the UK, government policies frequently define 'young workers' or target groups around the age threshold of 25. The Apprenticeship Levy and related funding rules often differentiate between younger trainees (aged 16–24) and adult learners (25 and older) to incentivize youth employment.
EN: The pattern 'encourage + object + to-infinitive' means to persuade or stimulate someone to perform a specific action. Here, 'companies' is the object, followed by 'to train'.
The government launched a campaign to encourage citizens to recycle plastic waste.
EN: 'Instead of' is a prepositional phrase meaning 'in place of' or 'rather than'. It is followed by a noun, pronoun, or gerund (-ing form). In this sentence, it contrasts 'young people' with the noun phrase 'older staff'.
She decided to walk to work instead of taking the bus.
EN: In British English, 'staff' is an uncountable collective noun often used to refer to employees as a whole, whereas American English frequently uses 'employees' or 'workers'. When British policy discusses 'older staff', it typically reflects concerns around retraining mature workers versus subsidizing apprenticeships for school and college leavers.
EN: Compound predicate with passive voice: Two passive verb phrases ('was prepared' and 'was first reported') share the same subject ('The proposal') and are joined by the coordinating conjunction 'and'.
The document was reviewed yesterday and was approved this morning.
EN: Adverb placement in passive voice: The frequency/order adverb 'first' is positioned between the auxiliary verb 'was' and the past participle 'reported'.
The missing files were quickly discovered by the IT team.
EN: In the UK, the 'budget' (or Budget statement) is an annual major event where the Chancellor of the Exchequer presents taxation and government spending plans. Significant policy reforms are frequently scheduled or announced in alignment with the budget date.
EN: The passive construction 'be expected to + infinitive' is commonly used in news reporting to express anticipation or likelihood without definitively stating who expects it.
The new policy is expected to take effect next month.
EN: The pattern 'part of something' denotes a component or fraction of a larger whole, followed here by multiple prepositional phrases ('to...', 'by...') providing descriptive detail.
This project is part of our long-term strategy.
EN: In British politics, an independent 'review' is often commissioned by the government to examine pressing public issues. Alan Milburn, a former Labour Cabinet minister and former chair of the Social Mobility Commission, is a prominent figure frequently tasked with advising on welfare, education, and employment policy.
EN: The phrasal verb 'look at' means to examine, investigate, or consider an issue or problem.
The committee will look at the causes of the economic crisis.
EN: An embedded question (wh-clause acting as a noun clause) follows normal statement word order (Subject + Verb), rather than question word order (Auxiliary + Subject). Here, 'why' introduces the clause serving as the prepositional object of 'at'.
Nobody understands why the project failed.
EN: In the UK, government-commissioned 'reviews' led by experienced politicians or independent experts (such as the Milburn review) are standard tools used to evaluate pressing social challenges—like youth unemployment or NEETs (young people Not in Education, Employment, or Training)—before formulating new public policies.
EN: The passive structure 'be expected to + verb' expresses what is anticipated or scheduled to happen, often used in formal news reporting.
The company is expected to release its new product next month.
EN: The relative clause 'that support young people' uses the relative pronoun 'that' as the subject to modify the preceding noun 'measures'.
The government introduced policies that encourage green energy.
EN: In the UK government, the 'Chancellor of the Exchequer' (often shortened to 'the Chancellor') is the senior minister responsible for all economic and financial matters, equivalent to a finance minister or the Secretary of the Treasury in other countries.
EN: The past participle 'aged' functions as a post-nominal adjective modifying 'people'. It is equivalent to the reduced relative clause 'who are aged 16 to 24'.
Students aged 12 to 18 can enter the competition for free.
EN: The phrase 'in education, employment or training' uses parallel noun structures governed by the single preposition 'in' to describe a status or condition.
Many young adults are currently in higher education.
EN: The phrase 'not in education, employment or training' is the source of the well-known acronym NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). First categorized by policy researchers in the UK in the late 1990s, the term has since been adopted internationally (including in Japan, Taiwan, and other regions, where NEETs are often referred to as '尼特族' or '啃老族') to describe young people disconnected from the labor market and school systems.
EN: The verb 'ask' can follow the pattern 'ask + someone + to + infinitive', meaning to request or urge someone to do something.
The teacher asked the students to submit their assignments on time.
EN: The present perfect tense ('have asked') is used here to describe an action that occurred in the recent past and has relevance or impact on the present situation.
Residents have demanded better public transportation in the area.
EN: In British political and media discourse, asking the government to 'think again' is a standard, polite, yet firm diplomatic idiom used by lobby groups and industry leaders to urge ministers to reconsider or withdraw a controversial policy before it becomes law.
EN: A non-defining relative clause (introduced by 'who') provides extra, non-essential information about a noun (Robert Halfon) and is set off by commas. Removing it does not change the core meaning of the main sentence.
Sarah, who joined our team last year, is leading the project.
EN: The phrasal preposition 'work for' means to be employed by a company or organization. The adverb 'now' contrasts the subject's current employment with their past role ('was once').
He used to teach, but he now works for an international tech company.
EN: In the UK political system, a 'skills minister' is a junior ministerial post responsible for apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and adult education. Former ministers frequently take advisory or leadership roles in business groups such as Make UK (the manufacturers' organisation), bridging government policy and private sector interests.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'instead of' is followed by a gerund (V-ing) or a noun phrase to express that one action or thing replaces another.
She chose to study online instead of attending classes in person.
EN: The indefinite pronoun 'ones' is used here to avoid repeating the plural noun 'opportunities'.
I don't like these shoes; can you show me the other ones?
EN: In UK policy debates, 'moving opportunities around' refers to zero-sum policies where aiding one group (e.g., younger workers) unintentionally disadvantages another (older workers) without expanding the overall job market.
EN: The verb 'agreed' is followed by a that-clause ('that helping young people into work was important...') acting as the direct object of the sentence. In formal and written English, 'that' explicitly marks the start of the noun clause.
The committee agreed that providing financial aid was necessary.
EN: A gerund phrase ('helping young people into work') can act as the subject of a clause. Because gerunds represent singular abstract concepts or activities, they take a singular verb ('was').
Learning new skills helps adults adapt to the job market.
EN: The phrase 'helping people into work' reflects common UK policy and public sector terminology, often associated with welfare-to-work initiatives aimed at reducing youth unemployment (especially NEETs: Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
EN: The sentence uses a gerund phrase ('Making it...') as the subject. In addition, 'it' serves as a dummy (preparatory) object following the verb 'make', while 'more expensive' is the object complement, and the true object is the infinitive clause 'for employers to train older workers'.
Making it easier for students to access resources improves learning outcomes.
EN: The structure 'isn't the answer' is a common idiomatic expression used to indicate that a suggested course of action is not an effective or suitable solution to a problem.
Cutting healthcare funding isn't the answer to reducing the budget deficit.
EN: In British political and economic debates, policy proposals often spark discussions about 'trade-offs' between age demographics. When ministers attempt to boost youth apprenticeships by cutting or raising costs on older workers (over 25), business representatives like Make UK frequently argue against pitting older workers against younger ones.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
To reconsider a decision, opinion, or course of action.
In place of someone or something else.
A classification describing young people who are currently unemployed and not enrolled in school or job training (commonly abbreviated as NEET).
To shift or transfer people or things from one position or group to another without increasing the total amount.