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