ENG100 ENGLISH ENHANCEMENT COURSE

MODULE 3 UNIT 1
SHARPENING YOUR THINKING SKILLS
At the end of the unit, you should:
1. make inferences and conclusions after analyzing reading texts;
2. use pronouns effectively.

NAME: _____________________________________________________________________

DAY/TIME SCHEDULE: ______________________________________________________

Coral Reefs
There are three types of coral reefs: fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls. The fringing
reef is found along the shore. There is normally a shallow lagoon, sometimes only half a meter
deep, between the fringing reef and the shore. The second type of reef, the barrier reef, is often
found offshore. It is the farthest from the shore and it makes a wall between the water near the
shore and the deep sea. A barrier reef can be as long as 1,500 kilometers. The atoll is the third
type of reef. It is a circular reef that usually encloses a lagoon. An atoll is normally found farther
from shore than the fringing reef, but closer to the shore than the barrier reef.

EXERCISE 1. Directions. Label the coral reefs.

EXERCISE 2. Directions. Read the statements and write T (True) or F (False).

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Example: F Barrier reefs are found very near the shoreline.

_________ 1. A barrier reef makes a wall between the shore and the deep water.
_________ 2. An atoll can be found farthest from the shore.
_________ 3. Most coral reefs abound near the shore.
_________ 4. A fringing reef is normally farther from shore than a barrier reef.
_________ 5. A lagoon is usually 1,500 kilometers long.
_________ 6. An atoll is normally enclosed by a lagoon.
_________ 7. There are three classifications of reefs.
_________ 8. A barrier reef has a circular shape.
_________ 9. All coral reefs are found in the deep sea.
_________ 10. An atoll is nearer the shore than a fringing reef.

EXERCISE 3. Directions. Read the sentences below. Circle the letter of the sentence that best
sums up the main idea.

1. The Red Sea is in some ways a very special sea. For one thing, it is sometimes red. Several
suggestions have been suggested to explain this. One suggestion is that sunlight is reflected
from the mountains on the sea. This seems possible but we know that it isn’t true. The real
reason is that lots of very small animals sometimes rise to the surface of the sea during the
day. They are red in color and make the water look red.

a. The Red Sea is red because it is heavily polluted.

b. The Red Sea is red because sunlight is reflected from the mountains on the sea.
c. The Red Sea is red because plenty of red-colored animals surface making the water
appear red.
d. The Red Sea is a unique sea because it catches the color of the sunlight.

2. The Red Sea is special because it is enclosed. It is almost like a huge lake. Only a little water
enters it from the Suez Canal in the north and the Gulf of Aden in the south. The area is very
hot and dry, so a lot of water evaporates. As a result, the Red Sea is slowly becoming more
salty. In fact, it is one of the saltiest seas in the world.

a. The Red Sea becomes salty because it is enclosed like a huge lake.
b. Two bodies of water – the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden – feed water to the Red Sea.
c. The Red Sea is the saltiest sea in the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden.
d. Since only a small amount of water goes to the Red Sea, it is very hot and dry causing
rapid evaporation and turning the water saltier.

3. In addition, the Red Sea is one of the few areas in the world where there are coral reefs. Coral
reefs are beautiful and dangerous places. They are built by millions of very microscopic
animals.

a. There are only a few coral reefs found in the Red Sea.
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b. Millions of very small animals make up the coral reefs that abound in the Red Sea.
c. Millions of coral reefs abound in the Red Sea.
d. The Red Sea is beautiful but it is a very dangerous place.

4. In these reefs, there are many fishes and plants. Some of them are very dangerous. About 20%
of all the fishes and plants in the Red Sea aren’t found anywhere else in the world.

a. The Red Sea is home to some of the rarest species of plants and fishes.
b. Most fishes and plants in the Red Sea are life-threatening.
c. About 20% of all dangerous fishes and plants in the world can be found in the Red Sea.
d. Coral reefs are breeding places for plants.

5. At the present, the Red Sea is not polluted. It is hoped that it would never become polluted.
Conservationists all over the world help to preserve this body of water.

a. The Red Sea was polluted before.

b. Pollution is present in the Red Sea, according to conservationists.
c. There is no way the Red Sea can be preserved at present.
d. Conservation efforts are underway to prevent pollution in the Red Sea.

Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun and helps a writer avoid unpleasant repetition.
A pronoun often functions as the subject of the sentence: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. It can also
function as direct object or object of the preposition: me, you, him, her, it, us, them. Pronouns
can also show possession or ownership: my, mine, your, yours, his, hers, its, our, ours, their,
theirs. The first group of pronouns are in the nominative case; the second in the objective case;
and the last in the possessive case.

EXERCISE 3. Directions. Underline the pronoun that will complete the sentence best.

Example: It is (our, ours) responsibility to refrain from throwing trash into the sea.

1. This is (our, ours) area of responsibility.

2. We will ask (they, them) to clean the debris from the sea in the north side of the lake.

3. (She, Her) needs to dive into the sea to pick up the litter.

4. It is (their, them) judgment call to continue searching for more victims.

5. This land is (your, yours); from now on, you will have to take care of it.

6. (My, Mine) view is that illegal fishing should be stopped to protect our seas.

7. It is (him, he) who threw the trash into the ocean.

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8. Aside from (we, us) members of pro-environment groups, nobody cares about cyanide
fishing.

9. Greenpeace activists boarded (them, their) boat due to its cargo of toxic waste.

10. (I, Me) am personally in charge of this expedition.

EXERCISE 4. Directions. Complete the sentence by underlining the correct pronoun.

Example: Chinese poachers have faster boats than (they, them).

1. Joshua enjoys fishing more than (I, me).

2. Alice is allergic to crabs and shrimps as much as (her, she).

3. Learning how to swim is easier for (we, us) who live in the tropics.

4. In the last boat race, the Filipino navy men rowed faster than (they, them).

5. I have a deeper respect for environmentalists like (he, him).

6. Dr. Alma del Rio is as good a diver than (he, him).

7. (We, Us) launched a turtle conservation patrol along the shore communities of Batangas.

8. (Their, Theirs) program to seed the sea with giant clams was a success.

9. Saving the seas today will be for the future generation, for (they, them).

10. It was (she, her) who introduced the environment-friendly fishing method.

Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are personal intensifiers with the word -self added. They are used
to express an action that goes back to the subject, as in:

Example: The fishermen threw the nets themselves.

The pronoun may follow the noun to which it refers, as in:

Example: The fishermen themselves threw the nets.

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EXERCISE 5. Directions. Write the correct form of the reflexive pronoun.

Example: I myself am a self-taught deep sea diver.

1. The marine biologists planted the giant clams on the ocean floor _____________.

2. We _____________ should exert efforts to save our seas from pollution.

3. Lyda and the student researchers ____________ visited the area where the oil spill occurred.

4. Francesca will prepare the brochure about the marine creature ______________.

5. The gentle whale hurt _____________ when it got caught in the fisherman’s net.

6. Martin _______________ will give a lecture on marshlands.

7. You have taken the duty to guard the endangered coral reef ______________.

8. I spoke to the local government executive ____________.

9. We have nobody to blame but _____________ for the diminishing fish catch.

10. I opened the clam and hurt _____________.

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