Before doing this activity you may need to read the text you will find at the end
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| Gapped text | Items |
|---|---|
| Do you collect ______________________ stamps? | an / some / a / -- / the / any |
| Do you need ______________________ sugar? I can buy it. | any / the / a / some / -- / an |
| I dreamt of ______________________ man without ______________________ head | an / a / any / -- / an / the / -- / the / a / some / any / some |
| Sandra is ______________________ nurse. | some / any / the / an / a / -- |
| I've got ______________________ friends in China | some / any / a / -- / the / an |
| I like ______________________ bananas | a / any / the / an / -- / some |
| We haven't got ______________________ tomatoes. | any / -- / some / an / the / a |
| ______________________ shops are open, but most are closed. | a / any / some / an / -- / the |
| Did you see ______________________ tigers? | some / any / the / -- / an / a |
| ______________________ planes are faster than ______________________ cars. | any / an / -- / some / -- / the / any / a / the / an / some / a |
| ______________________ sugar isn't good for you. | -- / the / some / an / any / a |
| Kelly's got ______________________ short fair hair. | an / -- / a / some / any / the |
| Paul has got ______________________ big eyes. | any / the / a / an / -- / some |
| ______________________ children spend their life learning | some / -- / a / any / an / the |
| ______________________ zoo was nice, but ______________________ tigers looked very sad. | any / an / some / -- / a / any / an / the / some / -- / the / a |
| ______________________ children learn very quickly, but others have problems. | a / -- / the / some / an / any |
| There aren't ______________________ shops open at this time. | -- / the / any / a / some / an |
| I can't find ______________________ nice books in this library | any / an / some / -- / the / a |
| Do you need ______________________ umbrella? I've got many. | a / -- / some / the / an / any |
| You've got ______________________ very beautiful eyes. | -- / a / the / some / an / any |
| I haven't got ______________________ friends here | -- / an / some / any / the / a |
| He's got ______________________ big hands | any / some / a / -- / the / an |
| I've got ______________________ birds at home | some / any / a / an / -- / the |
| ______________________ grass is green and ______________________ water is transparent | any / an / the / -- / an / -- / the / some / some / any / a / a |
| Do ______________________ English people you know work hard? | an / -- / any / some / a / the |
| She bought ______________________ new stamps for her collection. | any / some / -- / the / an / a |
| ______________________ pop music always makes me want to dance. | a / an / any / -- / the / some |
| Sorry, I haven't got ______________________ potatoes left | a / -- / the / any / some / an |
| I'm not wearing ______________________ ring because I'm not married | -- / an / a / the / some / any |
| all ______________________ cars in this car park look very expensive | an / some / a / any / -- / the / the |
| All ______________________ cars are very expensive | some / -- / any / an / the / a |
| Can you pass me ______________________ sugar, please? | some / -- / the / any / an / a |
| ______________________ film wasn't very good, but I liked ______________________ music. | a / the / some / an / some / -- / a / any / the / an / -- / any |
| In the jungle you can find ______________________ birds and ______________________ monkeys. | -- / an / the / a / some / a / -- / some / an / the / any / any |
| ______________________ diamond rings are too expensive for me | a / an / any / -- / some / the |
| ______________________ tigers live in Asia. | any / some / -- / a / the / an |
| I like ______________________ Spanish food, but ______________________ Spanish food Lola prepares is the best. | -- / a / any / some / any / a / an / some / an / the / -- / the |
| There are ______________________ eggs in the fridge. | the / an / any / -- / some / a |
| - Do you like ______________________ coffee? - Yes, but it's a bit too hot, I'll wait | -- / an / a / any / the / some |
| Have you got ______________________ books I can read? | any / -- / an / some / a / the |
| ______________________ palm trees don't grow in Scotland | some / a / an / any / -- / the |
| No thanks, I don't need ______________________ milk | the / an / any / some / -- / a |
| - Do you like ______________________ French wine? - No, I prefer ______________________ sherry | a / an / any / the / some / the / any / a / some / an / -- / -- |
| We went to ______________________ zoo with ______________________ children. | the / -- / -- / an / some / any / the / a / an / a / some / any |
| Hey, listen to ______________________ birds, they are singing very strangely | some / -- / the / any / an / a |
| I've seen ______________________ very good films recently. | any / a / -- / some / an / the |
| I need ______________________ bananas. | some / any / -- / a / an / the |
| ______________________ friends are coming for dinner, so I have to clean ______________________ house. | -- / an / some / any / some / any / -- / the / a / an / the / a |
| ______________________ birds can fly | the / any / an / a / -- / some |
| Are there ______________________ children in the garden? | the / any / -- / an / a / some |
| She's got ______________________ long face. | some / a / any / an / -- / the |
| Have you got ______________________ boyfriend? | an / a / -- / some / the / any |
| Do you like ______________________ coffee? I can make you one. | the / some / a / any / an / -- |
| I only wear ______________________ coat in winter. | a / the / any / -- / an / some |
| Do ______________________ English people work hard? | some / the / -- / a / any / an |
| My father is ______________________ doctor | the / any / an / a / some / -- |
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".
