English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 28: Transport

Word List
  • a return
  • away [distance]
  • bicycle
  • bike
  • bus
  • bus stop
  • catch (a bus/train)
  • coach
  • complain
  • complaint
  • convenient
  • cycle
  • cyclist
  • fare
  • flight
  • fly v
  • get in [enter]
  • get off (a bus)
  • get on (a bus)
  • get out [leave]
  • go by bike/car (etc.)
  • journey
  • lorry
  • miss the bus/train (etc.)
  • platform
  • public transport
  • queue n
  • reliable
  • ride [a bike]
  • round the corner
  • season ticket
  • taxi rank
  • truck
  • van
  • vehicle
Exercises

28.1 ‣ Choose the correct word(s) to complete the sentences.

  1. We were late, so we had to _____ a taxi.
    • get
    • catch
  2. You mustn’t _____ a motorbike without a helmet in the UK.
    • ride
    • drive
  3. She told him to _____ the car and fasten his seat belt.
    • get in
    • get on
  4. The _____ to the airport takes half an hour.
    • journey
    • travel
  5. Trains to the airport _____ every half hour.
    • travel
    • run
  6. The pilot didn’t want to _____ the plane in such bad weather.
    • drive
    • fly
  7. They left a bit late and _____ the bus.
    • lost
    • missed
  8. I see that train _____ are going up again.
    • fares
    • tickets
  9. You mustn’t speak to the bus _____ when he is driving.
    • pilot
    • driver
  10. We must get _____ the bus at the stop.
    • off
    • out

28.2 ‣ Test your knowledge. Can you label the vehicles without looking at the opposite page?

  2. _____
  3. _____
  4. _____
  5. _____
  6. _____

28.3 ‣ Complete the sentences.

  1. I wasn’t happy with the service, so I made a .
  2. The flight was fine but we had a terrible _____ from the airport to our hotel.
  3. Where I live, the public transport is not very _____ because the nearest bus stop is two kilometres _____, and there are no trains at all.
  4. The train station is just round the _____ from where I live.
  5. Buses are not very _____. Sometimes they come every five minutes, but other times you have to wait for forty minutes.
  6. When I got to the bus stop there was a long _____ of people.
  7. Train fares are crazy: a _____ to Glasgow costs more than two singles.
  8. People are always _____ about the buses, but I don’t think they’re that bad.
  9. I use the trains every day for work, so I’ve got a _____ ticket.
  10. Your train is going to depart from _____ six at 10:25.

28.4 ‣

Over to you

Answer the questions about transport in your country. If possible, compare your answers with someone else.

  1. Are trains more reliable than buses?
    _____
  2. Are return tickets usually twice the price of a single?
    _____
  3. Is where you live convenient for public transport? Why? / Why not?
    _____
  4. How often do you take a taxi? Why, and where do you go to?
    _____
  5. How often do you ride a bike?
    _____
Answer Key
A ‣ Vehicles

Vehicle is the general word for all types of road transport.

B ‣ Travelling around

bus/coachtrainplanetaxibicycle
bus/coach drivertrain driverpilottaxi drivercyclist
(£)bus faretrain fareairfarefare
get / catch / go byget / catch / go byflyget / takego by bike / cycle / ride a bike
get on/offget on/offget on/offget in / out (of)get on/off
bus stop / bus stationplatform / train stationairporttaxi rank
journeyjourneyflight

I go to work by bus. It’s only three stops.

We got the train to Cardiff, but the journey was terrible.

When the bus fares went up last month, my dad started cycling to work.

I got out of the taxi and almost walked away without paying the fare.

If there are more flights, airfares should be cheaper.

We were going to get the train to Paris, but in the end we decided to fly.

Common mistakes

It was a good journey. (NOT It was a good travel.)

C ‣ Are you happy with public transport?*

Where I live buses are not very convenient1; the nearest bus stop is half a mile away2. And when I do get the bus, I often have to wait in a queue3 for about twenty minutes, and then three come along at the same time!

People are always complaining about4 the bus service, but where I live it’s good. I’ve got a bus stop round the corner5 and buses run every ten minutes for most of the day, and they’re usually reliable6.

I get the train to work. Trains are expensive – a return7 to London is forty pounds – but I’ve got a season ticket8, and that makes it cheaper. My only real complaint is that if I miss9 my train, I have to wait half an hour for the next one.

* buses and trains for people to use
1 near or easy to use
2 the distance from a place
3 stand in a line
4 saying they are unhappy / not satisfied with
5 very near
6 you can trust them
7 a ticket for a journey to a place and back
8 a ticket you can use many times within a period of time without paying each time
9 don’t catch (a train or bus)

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