UK mathematician debunks myth around Parthenon’s optical illusions
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EN: The present perfect tense ('has challenged') is used here in journalistic style to introduce breaking news or recent academic discoveries that have immediate relevance and ongoing impact on current knowledge.
Researchers have discovered an alternative method for synthesizing sustainable aviation fuel.
EN: The partitive structure 'one of the + superlative adjective + plural noun' ('one of the most enduring myths') identifies a single entity as belonging to an elite or extreme subset, requiring the following count noun to remain plural.
This temple remains one of the best-preserved monuments from the classical era.
EN: The present participle 'enduring' acts as a participial adjective meaning 'long-lasting' or 'continuing for a prolonged period despite difficulties'. It modifies 'myths' attributively.
The novel explores the enduring power of human memory against adversity.
EN: In academic and journalistic writing, the term 'myth' often does not refer to folklore or mythology, but rather to a widely accepted premise or historical narrative that lacks empirical evidentiary support. Attributing research to the 'University of Oxford' immediately signals institutional authority and scholarly rigor.
EN: The noun phrase 'the iconic Greek temple...' acts as an appositive to 'the Parthenon', renaming and elaborating on it without a relative pronoun.
Dr. Miller analyzed the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient astronomical computer discovered off a Greek island.
EN: The sentence stacks two non-finite participial phrases: a past participial phrase ('perched atop the Acropolis hill') denoting passive state/location, followed directly by a present participial phrase ('overlooking Athens') denoting active spatial orientation.
The medieval fortress, situated high on the cliff overlooking the valley, attracts thousands of tourists.
EN: The formal collocation 'conduct an investigation into [something]' utilizes a delexical verb ('conduct') paired with a nominalized action and the preposition 'into' to indicate thorough research or formal inquiry.
Independent scientists conducted a thorough inquiry into the safety protocols of the laboratory.
EN: The Parthenon, completed in 438 BC on the Athenian Acropolis, is renowned for its architectural refinements ('entasis' and curved stylobate). Traditional architectural history credited these to optical corrections meant to counteract sagging or tapering illusions. Alain Goriely's research challenges this longstanding canon by applying modern mathematical and visual perception models.
EN: The structure 'praise someone for doing something' is a standard transitive verb collocation used to express commendation or approval towards an agent for a specific action or achievement.
Critics praised the director for taking bold artistic risks in her latest film.
EN: The past participle 'designed' introduces a reduced relative clause (short for 'which were designed to...'), functioning adjectivally to modify the noun phrase 'subtle geometric adjustments'.
The committee implemented measures designed to reduce carbon emissions across the city.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'For over two millennia' establishes a duration originating in antiquity and continuing up to the present, which logically triggers the present perfect tense ('have praised').
For over three centuries, the institution has preserved priceless historical manuscripts.
EN: Classical architectural theory long held that the Parthenon's intentional curvatures (such as the stylobate's upward camber and slightly inward-leaning columns, known as entasis) were sophisticated visual corrections designed to prevent the building from appearing distorted or sagging under human vision. This widely accepted belief is now being mathematically re-examined.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'Through + noun phrase' is placed at the beginning of the sentence to establish means or method ('by means of'). Fronting this adverbial modifier highlights the methodological rigor before introducing the main action.
Through rigorous field research, the team uncovered patterns that previous studies had overlooked.
EN: The relative clause 'that may unsettle many architectural historians' uses the modal auxiliary 'may' to convey epistemic modality (hedging). In academic and formal journalistic registers, 'may' softens the claim, acknowledging potential impact rather than asserting a guaranteed outcome.
The committee presented findings that may challenge prevailing economic orthodoxies.
EN: The spelling 'modelling' with double 'l' reflects British English conventions, consistent with the researcher's affiliation with the University of Oxford. In American English, it is typically spelled with a single 'l' ('modeling'). Additionally, questioning long-held beliefs in classical architecture—such as optical corrections in the Parthenon—reflects the modern trend of interdisciplinary STEM approaches re-examining established humanities consensus.
EN: Nested relative clauses with zero relative pronoun: The noun phrase 'the optical illusions' is modified by a contact clause (reduced relative clause where 'that/which' is omitted) acting as the object of 'to correct': '[that/which] the Parthenon's curves were supposedly intended to correct'. Identifying the boundary between the embedded clause and the main predicate ('are') is crucial for parsing complex academic sentences.
The assumptions the committee was originally expected to challenge are fundamentally flawed.
EN: Correlative conjunction 'either... or...': Used to connect two grammatically parallel structures presenting mutually exclusive or alternative possibilities. Here, it links two predicate adjective phrases: 'entirely nonsensical' and 'virtually imperceptible to the human eye'. Notice the balanced adverb-adjective pairing ('entirely nonsensical' vs. 'virtually imperceptible').
The discrepancies are either statistically insignificant or entirely attributable to measurement error.
EN: Epistemic stance markers ('supposedly', 'virtually'): Academic prose frequently utilizes hedging adverbs to calibrate commitment to truth claims. 'Supposedly' distances the author from the claim being investigated (indicating received but unverified belief), while 'virtually' qualifies the degree of imperceptibility without making an absolute negative claim.
The mechanism supposedly responsible for the reaction is virtually nonexistent in natural conditions.
EN: In Classical architecture, 'entasis' (the slight convex curve applied to columns) and stylobate curvature were traditionally thought to be optical corrections devised by Greek architects such as Ictinus and Callicrates, popularized by Vitruvius's 'De architectura'. Goriely's recent mathematical reassessment directly challenges this widely accepted art-historical orthodoxy, suggesting these subtle curves had aesthetic, structural, or drainage purposes rather than psychological-optical ones.
EN: The reflexive pronoun 'themselves' is used here emphatically (intensive pronoun) directly following the noun 'the illusions'. Unlike reflexive pronouns used as objects (e.g., 'They hurt themselves'), an intensive pronoun can be removed without altering the core syntax of the clause. It serves to accentuate the irony or contrast of the subject itself.
The committee members themselves were unaware of the policy change.
EN: The linking/copular verb 'constitute' belongs to formal and academic registers, meaning 'to be considered as' or 'to amount to'. It often takes abstract predicative nominals rather than concrete physical objects.
His prolonged absence constitutes a serious breach of contract.
EN: The Parthenon's subtle curves—known classically as 'entasis' in the columns and curvature in the stylobate—have long been celebrated as visual corrections (entasis theory popularized by Vitruvius). Alain Goriely's provocative claim creates an intellectual pun: the purported optical illusions which architects believed were being counteracted were never physically genuine, meaning the foundational theory itself was a psychological and historical illusion.
EN: In formal and literary English, conditional clauses with 'if' can be inverted by omitting 'if' and placing the auxiliary or copular verb ('were', 'had', 'should') before the subject. 'Were these corrections genuinely necessary' is an inverted hypothetical conditional equivalent to 'If these corrections were genuinely necessary'.
Were the evidence sufficient, the prosecution would proceed without hesitation.
EN: The modal construction 'would need to exist' expresses a hypothetical logical requirement or inevitable consequence within the conditional framework. 'Need to' functions as a semi-modal emphasizing an essential precondition.
To validate such an extraordinary hypothesis, clear empirical markers would need to exist.
EN: The elliptical predicate 'they do not' omits the verb phrase complement '[exist]' to avoid repetition, a standard cohesive device in academic and argumentative prose ('do not' stands for 'do not exist').
While some critics claim flaws remain, subsequent evaluations indicate they do not.
EN: The sentence addresses the long-standing architectural doctrine of 'optical refinements' (entasis and stylobate curvature) in classical Greek architecture, traditionally attributed to architects countering perspective distortion. Modern quantitative reassessments, such as Goriely's, exemplify the intersection of rigorous mathematical modelling with classical art history to debunk entrenched historical orthodoxies.
EN: The transitive verb phrase 'trace something to something' is commonly used in academic and investigative contexts to explain the origin, cause, or historical source of an idea, phenomenon, or object.
Researchers traced the initial outbreak of the epidemic to a local wholesale market.
EN: The non-defining (or non-restrictive) relative clause introduced by ', who' provides supplementary, parenthetical biographical information about a specific proper noun ('the first-century Roman architect Vitruvius') without restricting its identity.
The proposal was vetoed by the director, who believed the budget was unrealistic.
EN: Temporal adverbial phrase structure: [time duration] + 'after' + [noun phrase / event]. Here, 'approximately four hundred years after its construction' specifies precise historical distance between two events.
The manuscript was discovered nearly three centuries after its author's death.
EN: Vitruvius (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio) was a 1st-century BCE Roman architect whose multi-volume treatise 'De architectura' ('On Architecture') became the foundational text for Renaissance and Classical Western architectural theory. Because Vitruvius's writings were rediscovered and revered during the Italian Renaissance, his explanations—including those about Greek architecture—were accepted uncritically as definitive truth for centuries, even though he wrote centuries after Classical Greek monuments were constructed.
EN: The verb 'claimed' introduces indirect speech via a coordinated nominal 'that'-clause. Note that the second coordinate clause ('and [that] the temple's gently arched stylobate... was engineered') omits the repeated complementizer 'that', which is common in formal academic English to avoid stylistic repetition while maintaining parallel clause structure.
The report concluded that public spending had sharply increased and fiscal reserves were nearing depletion.
EN: The non-defining relative clause ', which rises roughly six centimetres at its midpoint,' is set off by commas to add non-essential, parenthetical descriptive detail about the 'stylobate'. Removing this clause leaves the core argument syntactically and semantically complete.
The new auditorium, which seats nearly five hundred guests, was designed by a world-renowned architect.
EN: The phrase 'was engineered to counteract' uses the passive voice followed by an infinitive of purpose ('to counteract'). The passive shifts focus to the architectural element (the stylobate) and its intentional design purpose rather than the unknown individual builders who constructed it.
The bridge's suspension cables were calibrated to absorb high-frequency vibrational stress.
EN: Vitruvius (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio) was a first-century BCE Roman architect whose multi-volume treatise 'De architectura' (On Architecture) is the only major work on classic architecture to survive from antiquity. His concept of 'optical refinements' (subtle entasis in columns and camber in stylobates) became an article of faith during the Renaissance and dictated how Western classical architecture was analyzed for centuries, despite the fact that Vitruvius wrote centuries after the Parthenon was built.
EN: The idiom 'find one's way into something' means to arrive at, infiltrate, or become included in a place, collection, or system, often through a gradual, unintended, or natural progression.
Over time, several regional slang words found their way into standard dictionaries.
EN: The past participle 'established' functions as an adjective modifying 'fact'. An 'established fact' refers to information that is generally accepted as proven, unquestioned, or verified across a domain.
That smoking severely damages lung function has long been an established fact.
EN: This sentence employs compound predicates joined by the coordinating conjunction 'and' ('found...' and 'became...'), where two sequential actions share the same subject ('His account') and are framed by parallel adverbs of time and progression ('subsequently' and 'gradually').
The rumor quickly gained traction online and eventually became regarded as the truth.
EN: The 'account' refers to the writings of Vitruvius (De architectura), the only surviving major architectural treatise from classical antiquity. His work became a foundational text during the Renaissance and shaped European architectural theory for centuries, demonstrating how classical authorities were revered and rarely subjected to empirical validation.
EN: The sentence begins with a pseudo-cleft clause (wh-cleft) using 'What makes...'. Pseudo-cleft sentences are used to shift focus and emphasize the information following the copular verb 'is' (the extraordinary longevity and resilience).
What strikes me most about the theory is its complete lack of empirical evidence.
EN: The verb 'make' is used in a causative pattern: 'make + object + object complement (adjective)' ('makes this myth particularly remarkable'). Here, 'particularly remarkable' functions as the object complement modifying 'this myth'.
Recent discoveries make the hypothesis increasingly plausible.
EN: In academic and intellectual discourse, referring to an established architectural theory as a 'myth' that possesses 'longevity and resilience' suggests that widely held academic consensus can sometimes stem from historical inertia rather than scientific proof. The Parthenon's optical refinements were rarely questioned because the authority of classical texts (like Vitruvius) went unchallenged for centuries.
EN: Negative inversion with 'Not only': When 'not only' is placed at the very beginning of a sentence or clause for rhetorical emphasis, subject-auxiliary inversion is mandatory in the first clause ('Not only has it survived...'). The subsequent correlative clause typically begins with 'but' or 'but also' and retains normal, non-inverted declarative word order ('but it continues...').
Not only did the team surpass their quarterly sales target, but they also expanded into two new international markets.
EN: Non-finite prepositional phrase functioning as an exemplar with 'including': The preposition 'including' (historically a present participle) introduces specific instances illustrating the broader category ('modern channels'). Inside this prepositional phrase, a restrictive relative clause ('that still reproduce...') modifies the head noun 'artificial intelligence chatbots'.
The platform supports various payment methods, including digital wallets that enable instant cross-border transfers.
EN: Tense shift across parallel clauses for temporal contrast: The first clause uses the present perfect ('has... survived') to denote an action originating in the past that has endured up to the present moment, while the second clause shifts to the simple present ('continues') to underscore an ongoing, habitual state or trend in contemporary times.
Not only has the author published three bestselling novels, but she continues to inspire aspiring writers through weekly workshops.
EN: The sentence touches upon a critical contemporary issue in epistemology and technology: Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI chatbots often ingest historical texts uncritically during pre-training. When centuries-old misconceptions (like Vitruvius's assertion about Parthenon curves) are codified in authoritative books, AI systems repeatedly regurgitate them as objective facts, compounding intellectual inertia and demonstrating how modern technology can perpetuate ancient misinformation.
EN: The conjunction 'once' can introduce an elliptical adverbial clause of time/condition (an absolute participial construction or reduced clause) omitting the subject and auxiliary verb (e.g., 'once [they are] embedded in...'). This structure creates conciseness typical of formal and academic registers.
Once accepted into mainstream discourse, flawed hypotheses are exceedingly difficult to dislodge.
EN: The sentence features multiple layers of subordination: a matrix clause ('Goriely emphasised') governing a noun clause ('that this case illustrates...'), which in turn governs an embedded interrogative content clause acting as the direct object of 'illustrates' ('how unverified assertions... can persist indefinitely').
The study demonstrates how subtle biases, even when unconsciously held, can alter experimental outcomes.
EN: The sentence touches on an epistemological phenomenon known in scholarship as 'the citation trap' or 'reference cascade', where an uncritical claim made by an ancient authority (like Vitruvius on Greek architecture) becomes canonised across centuries simply because subsequent scholars cited it as received wisdom rather than testing it empirically.
EN: The phrase 'with characteristic understatement' functions as an interpolated parenthetical prepositional phrase of manner. Placed directly between the matrix reporting verb ('suggested') and the subordinate noun clause complement ('that...'), it modifies the manner of communication. In formal and literary prose, embedding parentheticals between a reporting verb and its complement clause adds nuance and evaluative commentary without interrupting the logical progression of the thought.
She remarked, with unmistakable irony, that the delayed train was right on schedule.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'apart from' is used here to mean 'except for' or 'excluding'. It sets a category boundary by isolating 'religion' from the comparative claim 'the oldest surviving myth'. Depending on the context, 'apart from' can denote exclusion ('except for') or addition ('in addition to'); here, the superlative modifier ('oldest') clearly signals an exclusive sense.
Apart from a few minor typographical errors, the manuscript is ready for publication.
EN: The modal auxiliary 'might' conveys tentativeness, epistemic possibility, and scholarly hedging. In academic and journalistic discourse, attributing cautious hypotheses with 'might represent' rather than an absolute declaration like 'represents' softens the claim, allowing room for historical debate while protecting the speaker's credibility.
Archaeologists noted that the discovered fragments might represent an entirely unknown civilization.
EN: The phrase 'characteristic understatement' touches upon a deeply rooted rhetorical and cultural tradition in British academia, often referred to as British understatement (or litotes/meiosis). Rather than making bold or dramatic proclamations, British scholars and commentators frequently frame monumental discoveries or radical debunkings in remarkably calm, modest, or ironic terms. Calling a debunked two-thousand-year-old architectural belief 'perhaps the oldest surviving myth apart from religion' is a quintessentially dry, tongue-in-cheek intellectual remark.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
Something that deceives the eye by appearing to be other than it actually is.
To end up in or enter a particular place, state, or document, often gradually or unintentionally.
A statement or idea that is widely accepted as true and proven by evidence.
A restrained or modest way of expressing something that is typical of a particular person.