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