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Here's the sentence:

Enter University of Cambridge zoologist Ricardo Rocha.

It is a complete sentence from an IELTS text. My question is: why is there no article before 'university,' as 'University of Cambridge' here plays the role of a modifier, and the word 'zoologist,' which is modified, requires an article? Moreover, why shouldn't 'University of Cambridge' be preceded by the definite article anyway?

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    It's an informal way of saying the zoologist Ricardo Rocha, from the University of Cambridge. Zoologist acts like an adjective describing Mr Rocha, and University of Cambridge like an adjective modifying zoologist.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 12, 2022 at 11:35
  • Or it could be a stage direction from a play šŸ˜€
    – Peter Jennings
    Commented Nov 12, 2022 at 11:50
  • @PeterJennings - stage left?
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Nov 12, 2022 at 11:55
  • I agree with Kate, except that "enter [some character] is a stage direction as given in a play.
    – Lambie
    Commented Nov 12, 2022 at 16:22
  • I thought at first that it was the use of Enter that puzzled the OP - but as he didn't mention it, I didn't either.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 12, 2022 at 16:38

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"University of Cambridge" acts as a modifying noun phrase to modify "zoologist" and "University of Cambridge zoologist" is an appositional phrase to the proper noun "Richard Rocha". These nouns don't need articles as they are part of modifying phrases.

"Richard Rocha" doesn't have an article as it is a proper noun.

The whole sentence seems to be imperative, perhaps it is a stage direction, or is emulating a stage direction for rhetorical purposes.

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