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