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