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