[Grammar] I need help on Determiners, thanks?

[Aikuzo3]

Instructions: Underline the best deterniner(a, the, much, many) in each set of parentheses. If no determiner is needed, underline the X.

1. (X) hundred years ago, there were thousands of mountain gorillas in (X) Africa. At (that) time, gorilla habitats were isolated. Later, war, environmental destruction, and hunting contributed to (the) decline in gorilla populations.

2. In (the) 1970s, poachers killed (many) gorillas and used gorilla hands as ashtrays. In (those) days, primatologist Dian Fossey worked hard to prevent the slaughter of the gorillas.

3. Recently, there has been (a) resurgence in gorilla poaching. (Much) attention has been focused on the problem. ( Those) days, there are only about 660 mountain gorillas left in Africa. In (X) Rwanda, for example, very (few) gorillas remain.

4. Currently, (many) poachers kill adult female gorillas and then sell (the) baby gorillas to wealthy collectors. Since (X) 1972, no gorillas have been taken from (the) wild and brought to zoos in (X) North America. However, there are (many) disreputable collectors who covet (the) rare animals. Recently, (a) Nigerian dealer asked for $1.6 million for four baby gorillas. To date, authorities have had (little) success in combating (the) gorilla-poaching problem.

Did I get everything right?

 

[emsr2d2]

Instructions: Underline the best deterniner(a, the, much, many) in each set of parentheses. If no determiner is needed, underline the X.

1. (X) hundred years ago, there were thousands of mountain gorillas in (X) Africa. At (that) time, gorilla habitats were isolated. Later, war, environmental destruction, and hunting contributed to (the) decline in gorilla populations.

2. In (the) 1970s, poachers killed (many) gorillas and used gorilla hands as ashtrays. In (those) days, primatologist Dian Fossey worked hard to prevent the slaughter of the gorillas.

3. Recently, there has been (a) resurgence in gorilla poaching. (Much) attention has been focused on the problem. ( Those) days, there are only about 660 mountain gorillas left in Africa. In (X) Rwanda, for example, very (few) gorillas remain.

4. Currently, (many) poachers kill adult female gorillas and then sell (the) baby gorillas to wealthy collectors. Since (X) 1972, no gorillas have been taken from (the) wild and brought to zoos in (X) North America. However, there are (many) disreputable collectors who covet (the) rare animals. Recently, (a) Nigerian dealer asked for $1.6 million for four baby gorillas. To date, authorities have had (little) success in combating (the) gorilla-poaching problem.

Did I get everything right?

It took me a while to work out your answers because the question asks you to underline the correct determiner, but there were no underlined words in your sentences. However, I now see what you have done. I have marked in red the ones which are incorrect. As you can see, there are only two errors. Good effort.

 

[Aikuzo3]

Thanks emsr2d2.

About the "X" in #1, can I ask why it is incorrect? Also, the error in #3, I was thinking the "days" refer to the past - and thus I used "those" - but yeah, I think I'm wrong and it is supposed to be "these"(because it refer to now). Does the word "Recently" indicates the "days" is referring to now? I'm just curious.

Thanks in advance.

 

[emsr2d2]

We don't say "hundred years". We either use a number or an article.

 

[Aikuzo3]

So, it's because of that singular count noun "hundred." I was thinking what part of speech is the "years." Is that noun(plural) as well?

 

[emsr2d2]

You're right about #3. The report is talking about the situation today at that point so "these days" is the correct choice.

You have to think about the number "100" as an entity in its own right, it's just been written using letters instead of numbers.

 

[Aikuzo3]

Thanks.