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