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Year 11 English — Small words in a gap-fill

Fill the articles, determiners and prepositions an exam-style gap-fill leaves out.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Put the steps of filling a gap in the order you should do them.

    • First, read the whole passage once without filling anything in.
    • Then decide what kind of word the gap needs — an article, a determiner or a preposition.
    • Finally, write your word in and read the sentence again to hear whether it fits.
    • Next, look at the word just before the gap and the word just after it.

  2. 2.Sort each determiner by the kind of noun it goes with.

    Groups: Countable plural nouns · Uncountable nouns

    • little
    • much
    • several
    • many
    • a great deal of
    • few

  3. 3.Write the one missing word: She is the tallest girl ____ the class.

  4. 4.Match each sentence to the preposition its gap needs.

    • Everything depends ____ the weather.
    • The keys are ____ the top drawer.
    • We waited ____ the gate for an hour.
    • She walked ____ the bridge to the other side.
    • This ring is made ____ solid gold.
    • He has been ill ____ Monday.
    • since
    • on
    • across
    • of
    • in
    • at

  5. 5.Write the one missing word: My uncle has been living here ____ 2019.

  6. 6.Write one missing word: That film was ____ best I have seen this year.

  7. 7.Which sentence uses its article correctly?

    • a) He is the European by birth.
    • b) He is European by a birth.
    • c) He is an European by birth.
    • d) He is a European by birth.

  8. 8.Sort each preposition by what it usually marks.

    Groups: Time · Place

    • behind
    • until
    • among
    • beside
    • during
    • since

Answer key — Year 11 English — Small words in a gap-fill

  1. 1. 1. First, read the whole passage once without filling anything in. 2. Next, look at the word just before the gap and the word just after it. 3. Then decide what kind of word the gap needs — an article, a determiner or a preposition. 4. Finally, write your word in and read the sentence again to hear whether it fits.
  2. 2. many → Countable plural nouns; much → Uncountable nouns; few → Countable plural nouns; little → Uncountable nouns; several → Countable plural nouns; a great deal of → Uncountable nouns
  3. 3. in
  4. 4. Everything depends ____ the weather. → on; The keys are ____ the top drawer. → in; We waited ____ the gate for an hour. → at; She walked ____ the bridge to the other side. → across; This ring is made ____ solid gold. → of; He has been ill ____ Monday. → since
  5. 5. since
  6. 6. the
  7. 7. d) He is a European by birth.
  8. 8. during → Time; behind → Place; until → Time; beside → Place; since → Time; among → Place