Hello. I will really appreciate your advice.
1)Do we need the article "the" in the following context: "It is important to enhance cooperation with the (?)non-members of the European Union" (no particular country is meant, just a general statement)?
2)The same problem with articles: "The pipeline is being built for the (?) transportation/delivery of Azeri gas to Europe"?
3)Does the sentence sound OK: "I think he will undisputably win the race"?
Thank you very much for help.
I'd leave "the" in the first and second sentences.
The third sentence is fine.
Hello! I'd be happy to help you with your questions.
1) In the first context, it depends on the intended meaning. If you are referring to non-members in general, the use of "the" before "non-members" is not necessary. You can simply say, "It is important to enhance cooperation with non-members of the European Union." This implies that you want to cooperate with any non-member country.
2) For the second context, it also depends on the intended meaning. If you are referring to any pipeline built for transportation or delivery of Azeri gas to Europe, you can omit the article. So, you can say, "The pipeline is being built for transportation/delivery of Azeri gas to Europe." This implies that it is a general statement about any pipeline being built for this purpose.
However, if you are referring to a specific pipeline that has been mentioned before or is known in the context, you can use "the" before "pipeline." For example, "The pipeline is being built for the transportation/delivery of Azeri gas to Europe."
3) The sentence "I think he will undisputably win the race" is not grammatically incorrect, but it would be more commonly expressed as "I think he will undeniably win the race." "Undisputably" is less commonly used in everyday language, whereas "undeniably" is more widely recognized and understood.
Please let me know if you have any further questions or need additional clarification!