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