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Ce moteur polluant consomme trop de carburant.

Ce moteur polluant consomme trop de carburant.
This polluting engine consumes too much fuel.
From Lesson 233:Alternatives (au lieu de)·French

Questions & Answers about Ce moteur polluant consomme trop de carburant.

Why is it trop de carburant instead of trop du carburant?
After adverbs of quantity like trop (too much), beaucoup (a lot), or un peu (a little), you always use the basic preposition de without an article. Even though fuel is an uncountable noun where you might normally use the partitive article du, the rule for quantity words overrides it.
Is polluant an adjective or a verb in this sentence?
It acts as an adjective here, but it comes from the verb polluer (to pollute). This form is called a present participle (the equivalent of an '-ing' word in English). When used as an adjective, it must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Since moteur is masculine singular, polluant stays in its base form.
Why use Ce for 'this' instead of Cet?
Both mean 'this' for masculine singular nouns, but Ce is used before words starting with a consonant, like moteur. You would only use Cet if the following masculine noun started with a vowel or a mute H (like cet avion).
What is the difference between carburant and essence?
Carburant is the general term for any type of motor fuel (including diesel, ethanol, or jet fuel). Essence specifically means petrol or gasoline. Since this sentence talks about a generic engine (moteur), carburant is the most accurate word.

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