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