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