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