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