Here's an explanation of some difficult words and phrases from the provided text:

---

Difficult Words and Phrases Explained

• in a state of flux: This means something is constantly changing or developing. Imagine a river that's always flowing and shifting its course; that's "in a state of flux." 🌊

• Anglo-Saxon origin: This refers to words that come from the language spoken by the Angles and Saxons, Germanic tribes who settled in England in the 5th and 6th centuries. These words often form the basic vocabulary of English.

• colonial past: This refers to a historical period when powerful countries established colonies (territories under their control) in other parts of the world. English adopted words from the languages spoken in these colonies.

• upholding standards: This means maintaining or defending the rules and quality of something. In the context of language, it's about making sure the language is used correctly and doesn't decline in quality.

• uncorrupted by outside influences: This means keeping something pure and free from changes or alterations caused by other things. For a language, it implies resisting the adoption of words or grammatical structures from other languages.

• factions: These are small, organized groups within a larger one that often disagree with each other, especially in politics or in this case, about language rules.

• prescribing rules: This means setting down rules or dictating how something should be done. In grammar, it's about strictly following established rules.

• usages prevail: This refers to the ways in which language is actually used becoming common or widely accepted over time. It's about how people naturally speak and write, rather than strict rules.

• puzzled: This means feeling confused or unable to understand something. 🤷‍♀️

• splitting the infinitive: This is a grammatical concept. An infinitive is the basic form of a verb, usually preceded by "to" (e.g., "to go," "to write"). "Splitting the infinitive" means putting a word (usually an adverb) between "to" and the verb (e.g., "to boldly go"). Traditionally, some grammarians considered this incorrect.

• Latinate language: This describes a language that is derived from Latin, like French, Spanish, or Italian. English is a Germanic language with many Latin influences, but it's not primarily "Latinate."

• prescriptive teachers: These are teachers who believe in and teach strict rules of grammar, emphasizing how language should be used.

• contrary view: This means an opposing or different opinion.

• feelings can run strongly: This means people have very intense or passionate opinions about something.

• subject of the sentence: In grammar, the subject is the noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb (e.g., in "She runs," "She" is the subject).

• preposition: This is a word (like "in," "on," "at," "for," "with") that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. Traditionally, some grammarians advise against ending a sentence with a preposition.

• dilemma: This is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives. 🤔

• reflect the expectations of your target readership: This means to adjust your writing style and language to match what the people you are writing for (your audience) expect and are used to.

• One size will not fit all: This is an idiom meaning that one single approach or solution will not be suitable for everyone or every situation.

• middle course: This means a compromise or a balanced approach between two extremes.

• daunted and overwhelmed:

  • Daunted: Feeling intimidated or discouraged by the difficulty or size of a task.

  • Overwhelmed: Feeling like you have too much to deal with; swamped.

• winning attitude: A positive and determined mindset that helps someone succeed. 🏆

• complacency: A feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements. It often leads to a lack of effort or awareness of potential dangers.

• drains the lifeblood: This is a strong idiom meaning to severely weaken or destroy something essential, like the vital energy or resources of an organization.

• lose the competitive edge: This means to lose the advantage or superiority that helps a company succeed over its rivals.

• upmarket: Refers to products or services that are expensive and of high quality, appealing to affluent customers.

• great fanfare: This means with a lot of public celebration, attention, and excitement. 🥳

• ridiculed in the national press: This means being made fun of or scorned publicly by newspapers and media across the country.

• lose face: This idiom means to lose respect or prestige, often due to an embarrassing or humiliating mistake.

• made a nonsense of this: This means to make something completely meaningless, illogical, or absurd.