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