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