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