“awareness”vs“the awareness of ”When to use the article?

[Donald]

Hi everyone,
I'm confused about the usage of the word "awareness".

For example, should I say:
1. "We need to raise awareness of environmental protection."
2. "We need to raise the awareness of environmental protection."
Are both sentences correct? If yes, is there any difference in meaning or formality? Could you please explain when I should use "the" before "awareness"?

Thank you!

 

[jutfrank]

A very good way to learn how to use words is by noticing how they're used in collocation with other words and phrases. For example:

raise awareness of something

This pattern is used to talk about trying to bring an issue into the public eye. Notice how no article is used.

Could you please explain when I should use "the" before "awareness"?

No, that's not possible because the choice of article depends on the context.