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