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