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