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