Learn English – they are known or known

grammar

I don't understand this sentence well and am not sure where the subject is so I don't know what I can fill.

  1. At present production levels, they are known deposits of bauxite can provide the world with aluminum for hundreds of years.

  2. At present production levels, known deposits of bauxite can provide the world with aluminum for hundreds of years.

I think the first sentence (they are known)is correct but I saw the answer key is the second sentence (known).

Best Answer

The first example is incorrect, and the second is correct.

In the second clause, the subject is "known deposits of bauxite" and the predicate is "can provide the world with aluminum...".

An alternate wording would be

At present production levels, there are known deposits of bauxite that can provide the world with aluminum for years to come.

There can be used as a kind of "dummy" subject here, when there is no actual subject to the clause.

They can not be substituted here. To use they you would have to have some context that establishes what they refers to:

Jamaica has many bauxite deposits. They are enough to supply to world for many years to come.

Here they refers to the specific bauxite deposits in Jamaica that were previously mentioned.

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