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