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