Method + article?

Question

We have many methods for measurement, purification, etc.
We have ion exchange, and how do you use articles with it?
For example,

Ion exchange is a useful and popular method to purify water.
No article?
(This is the start of a sentence; if you don't have the ion exchange that is referred to before that)

Teechr · Accepted Answer

SupercatIon exchange is a useful and popular method to of purifying water.

SupercatNo article?

That's right; no article.

Supercat(This is the start of a sentence; ~~if you don't have the~~ there's no earlier reference ti "ion exchange." ~~that is referred to before that)~~

Even if there was an earlier reference to it, you should not ordinarily use an article, unless you're referring to some specific kind of ion exchange or differentiating one from another. You can just use "it" as a reference.
e.g.,
Ion exchange is a useful and popular method of purifying water. It was developed in the last century and has since been applied in many chemical and industrial processes.

Supercat · Answer

teechr Even if there was an earlier reference to it, you should not ordinarily use an article, unless you're referring to some specific kind of ion exchange or differentiating one from another. You can just use "it" as a reference.

I've got it.

teechr Ion exchange is a useful and popular method of purifying water.

Why "of ~ing"?

Teechr · Answer

SupercatWhy "of ~ing"?

That's whats used with "a method."

Supercat · Answer

teechr That's whats used with "a method."

I checked it in a dictionary and it says so! Okay thanks.

We have the disease "Tourette syndrome", and I think this is written without articles like ion exchange. So are these kind of stuff roughly treated in the same way when we write them?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourette_syndrome is named after Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1857–1904), the man who identified and described it. Originally it was "Tourette's syndrome." Tourette syndrome (also called Tourette's syndrome, Tourette's disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS or, more commonly, simply Tourette's or TS) is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood...

Grammatically, Tourette is a proper name determiner, and we do not use articles with proper name determiners. We say "Bob's car" (the car of Bob) not "the Bob's car." We say "your car" (the car of you) not "the your car."

Similarly, in "ion exchange" (the exchange of ions). "Ion" functions grammatically as a determiner.
They used ion exchange to purify drinking water.
They used the exchange-of-ions method for the purification of drinking water.
They used the ion exchange method to purify drinking water.

Supercat · Answer

Complicated! I'll memorise what you said.

Although I'm not talking about disease names only, how about those such as schizophrenia and leukemia?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

A specific disease condition takes no article:

My brother died of leukemia many years ago. But now, leukemia is no longer a death sentence. It has an excellent cure rate.
He was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is difficult to treat effectively.

Method + article?

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