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