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