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