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