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Study in the app →English · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 33
I go to work by bus
Dialogue
take bus or take the bus?
- Emma Minsu, how do you get to the office?
- Minsu I take bus every morning, and sometimes I catch train.
- Emma With take and catch, add "the": "I take the bus", "I catch the train".
- Minsu I take the bus every morning, and sometimes I catch the train.
- Emma Perfect! But remember: "by bus" has no "the" — "I come by bus".
- Minsu Got it — I come by bus, and I take the bus. Two ways to say it!
Dialogue
A trip to the coast
- Minsu Emma, how do we get to Brighton this weekend?
- Emma By train. It's fast, and the station is near my flat.
- Minsu Where do we buy the tickets?
- Emma At the station. We catch the nine o'clock train.
- Minsu And in Brighton? Do we go to the beach on foot?
- Emma Yes, the beach is close, so we walk. It's a lovely day out!
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| bus | n. | bus | |
| train | n. | train | |
| underground | n. | underground | |
| car | n. | car | |
| bike | n. | bike | |
| plane | n. | plane | |
| taxi | n. | taxi | |
| station | n. | station | |
| ticket | n. | ticket | |
| catch | v. | catch | |
| on foot | adv. | on foot |
Grammar
by bus, on foot, take the bus by bus, on foot, take the bus
To say how you travel, English has a fixed phrase: "by" + the means, with NO article. "I go to work by bus." "We travel by train / by car / by plane / by bike." Do not add "a" or "the" here — say "by bus", never "by a bus". The one exception is walking: it is "on foot", not "by foot". You can also talk about the vehicle with the verbs take or catch — and these DO use "the": "I take the bus", "She catches the 8 o'clock train", "Let's get a taxi". So the tricky pair is: by bus (no article) but take the bus (with "the"). Korean has no articles, so learners often drop "the": "I take bus every day" ✗ → "I take the bus every day" ✓.
To say how you travel, English has a fixed phrase: "by" + the means, with NO article. "I go to work by bus." "We travel by train / by car / by plane / by bike." Do not add "a" or "the" here — say "by bus", never "by a bus". The one exception is walking: it is "on foot", not "by foot". You can also talk about the vehicle with the verbs take or catch — and these DO use "the": "I take the bus", "She catches the 8 o'clock train", "Let's get a taxi". So the tricky pair is: by bus (no article) but take the bus (with "the"). Korean has no articles, so learners often drop "the": "I take bus every day" ✗ → "I take the bus every day" ✓.
- I usually go to work by bus. I usually go to work by bus.
- The school is near, so I go on foot. The school is near, so I go on foot.
- I take the train and then I catch a bus. I take the train and then I catch a bus.
- Do you go to the airport by taxi or by train? Do you go to the airport by taxi or by train?
pronunciation
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