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