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