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