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