Before doing this activity you may need to read the text you will find at the end
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| Gapped text | Items |
|---|---|
| Did you see ______________________ tigers? | -- / the / any / a / an / some |
| He's got ______________________ big hands | the / any / an / some / a / -- |
| - Do you like ______________________ coffee? - Yes, but it's a bit too hot, I'll wait | the / any / a / some / -- / an |
| Have you got ______________________ books I can read? | any / the / -- / some / a / an |
| I like ______________________ Spanish food, but ______________________ Spanish food Lola prepares is the best. | an / -- / some / a / -- / any / any / an / some / a / the / the |
| I've got ______________________ birds at home | some / the / -- / a / any / an |
| Do you like ______________________ coffee? I can make you one. | -- / an / any / a / the / some |
| I haven't got ______________________ friends here | some / an / the / a / any / -- |
| Have you got ______________________ boyfriend? | an / -- / some / any / a / the |
| ______________________ pop music always makes me want to dance. | a / some / any / -- / an / the |
| Kelly's got ______________________ short fair hair. | -- / an / some / the / a / any |
| I only wear ______________________ coat in winter. | any / -- / a / some / the / an |
| There are ______________________ eggs in the fridge. | -- / a / some / the / any / an |
| I like ______________________ bananas | some / an / a / the / any / -- |
| ______________________ shops are open, but most are closed. | the / a / any / an / -- / some |
| Do you collect ______________________ stamps? | the / any / some / -- / a / an |
| We went to ______________________ zoo with ______________________ children. | an / an / any / the / some / the / -- / a / any / a / -- / some |
| Do you need ______________________ umbrella? I've got many. | the / a / some / an / any / -- |
| I can't find ______________________ nice books in this library | some / a / any / an / -- / the |
| My father is ______________________ doctor | the / an / any / some / a / -- |
| There aren't ______________________ shops open at this time. | some / the / any / a / -- / an |
| ______________________ sugar isn't good for you. | the / -- / an / a / some / any |
| I'm not wearing ______________________ ring because I'm not married | -- / an / the / any / some / a |
| Paul has got ______________________ big eyes. | -- / some / the / an / any / a |
| ______________________ diamond rings are too expensive for me | a / any / -- / some / an / the |
| ______________________ children spend their life learning | the / any / a / an / some / -- |
| Are there ______________________ children in the garden? | any / the / an / some / -- / a |
| ______________________ palm trees don't grow in Scotland | -- / the / an / any / some / a |
| Do ______________________ English people work hard? | some / an / a / the / -- / any |
| Sorry, I haven't got ______________________ potatoes left | a / -- / an / some / any / the |
| No thanks, I don't need ______________________ milk | any / some / -- / the / a / an |
| ______________________ tigers live in Asia. | a / some / -- / any / an / the |
| ______________________ film wasn't very good, but I liked ______________________ music. | the / -- / -- / an / a / an / any / some / the / some / a / any |
| ______________________ zoo was nice, but ______________________ tigers looked very sad. | some / an / any / some / any / the / an / the / a / -- / -- / a |
| We haven't got ______________________ tomatoes. | a / some / an / the / -- / any |
| I've got ______________________ friends in China | any / the / a / an / -- / some |
| ______________________ birds can fly | the / some / -- / any / an / a |
| ______________________ friends are coming for dinner, so I have to clean ______________________ house. | any / some / the / any / some / -- / an / an / the / a / -- / a |
| ______________________ grass is green and ______________________ water is transparent | -- / a / some / the / any / some / -- / a / an / any / the / an |
| Sandra is ______________________ nurse. | the / an / a / some / -- / any |
| ______________________ children learn very quickly, but others have problems. | -- / some / a / the / any / an |
| all ______________________ cars in this car park look very expensive | a / the / an / the / -- / some / any |
| Can you pass me ______________________ sugar, please? | any / an / the / some / a / -- |
| Do you need ______________________ sugar? I can buy it. | the / -- / some / a / any / an |
| In the jungle you can find ______________________ birds and ______________________ monkeys. | an / some / some / any / -- / the / a / the / any / a / -- / an |
| Hey, listen to ______________________ birds, they are singing very strangely | -- / a / some / an / the / any |
| She bought ______________________ new stamps for her collection. | the / an / -- / some / any / a |
| I dreamt of ______________________ man without ______________________ head | some / -- / -- / any / a / any / the / an / some / a / an / the |
| Do ______________________ English people you know work hard? | a / an / any / the / some / -- |
| You've got ______________________ very beautiful eyes. | some / any / the / -- / a / an |
| ______________________ planes are faster than ______________________ cars. | a / -- / any / -- / some / a / the / an / the / an / any / some |
| She's got ______________________ long face. | -- / the / a / an / any / some |
| I've seen ______________________ very good films recently. | an / -- / any / the / a / some |
| - Do you like ______________________ French wine? - No, I prefer ______________________ sherry | the / an / a / -- / any / -- / a / some / some / the / any / an |
| I need ______________________ bananas. | some / a / an / -- / the / any |
| All ______________________ cars are very expensive | the / some / a / an / any / -- |
Note: In cases when you can use some/any or no article, it is more normal to use some/any
"I need some milk" is more normal than "I need milk".
When talking in general there is no article
- I like apples
- tigers live in Asia
- grass is green and water is transparent
Note: French wine is very expensive (we are not talking about all the wine in general, but we are talking about all the "French wine" in general, so we use no article)
When talking about something particular and known, we use "the" in every case
- the president of Uganda is ill (we know what president we are talking about)
- the elephants of Africa are bigger than those in Asia
- the wine you sell is excellent
When talking about something particular but unspecified, we use the indefinite article:
- I want an apple (I don't want a specific apple, any apple is fine, this or that or that one there; if it's an apple, it's ok)
- I want apples = I want some apples
- I want wine = I want some wine
The indefinite article "a" ("an" before a vowel) is singular, and so, we cannot use it for plurals or uncountables. Nevertheless, in those cases we can normally use the indefinite article "some" ("any" for interrogatives and negatives).
- I have a book
- I have books = I have some books
- I don't have books = I don't have any books
- Have you got books? = Have you got any books?
REMEMBER! "some/any" is an indefinite article, and so, it can only be used when the quantity or number is unspecified and not very big, otherwise, we do not use it (if you have thousands of books you cannot say "I have some books", you have to say "I have books / I have many books"). It means something similar to "a few / a little".
