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