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