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