Grammar Practice in Context - David Bolton, Noel Goodey 1997

90 Prepositions used for travel and transport: I travelled by plane

Quick reference

• When we talk about the means of transport, we can use by.

He travelled by air/by rail/by road/by sea.

or by train/by bus/by coach/by car/by plane/by boat/by taxi.

We can also use on.

I travelled on the train/on a plane/on a boat/on the ferry/on a bus/on a coach.

But with car. truck, taxi we use in. I came in the car. I got a lift in a truck.

• We use out of and into when we talk about buildings or rooms.

/ went into the bank. She came out of the classroom.

We say get into (or in) and get out of a car, a taxi, a truck.

I got into the first taxi that came. The police told me to get out of the car.

• We say get on/get off a train, a bus, a coach, a plane, a big boat, a bike, a motorbike. He got on his bike and rode away. We got off the train at Taunton.

• We say get to (= reach) a town, a country or a place.

We got to Athens at 9.30. We got to America in four hours.

But we say arrive in a town or a country, and arrive at a place.

We arrived in France a week ago. What time did you arrive at the station?

• We say go to a place, a town, a country, a continent.

I go to Spain twice a year. He’s gone to Africa. When are you going to London ?

• We don’t use a preposition before home with verbs like go, get, come, arrive, leave.

I arrived home at 12.30. She left home early. What time will you get home?

1 Complete the dialogue below, using at, in, to, by, on, out of, into, off or no word at all.

’When did you get (1) ... home?'

’We got (2) ... the plane at five o'clock. We came (3) ... the airport at twenty­past five and we arrived (4) ... home at six.’

’Did you come (5) ... bus from the airport?’

’No, we arrived (6) ... the bus-stop just after the bus had left, so we got (7) ... the first taxi we saw. It was just six o’clock when we were getting (8) ... the taxi at home.'

’Was it the first time you’d been (9) ... France?’

’No, but it was the first time we’d been (10) ... plane. We normally go (11) ... the car. We sometimes go (12) ... the Shuttle from Folkestone (13) ... Calais, or we cross the Channel (14) ... ferry.’

’Did you have good weather?’

’Wonderful. When we left (15) ... home, it was cold and wet. But when we arrived

(16) ... Nice, it was warm and sunny. As soon as we arrived (17) ... our hotel, we went for a swim in the pool. We had a great holiday!'

2 Look at this timetable and complete the questions and answers.

1 Is Mr Hall travelling by coach? - No, he’s going ... plane from Heathrow.

2 Where’s he going?

3 Does his Hight go via Madrid? - No, it’s non-stop ... Barcelona.

4 Where must he be by 12.55 on Thursday?

5 What time does he arrive ...? - At 16.55 hrs.

6 When is he Hying back ...? - On March 3rd.

7 By what time must he be ... for the return Hight? - By 12.20 hrs.

8 What time does his return flight arrive ... London? - At 14.30 hrs.

3 This person wants to get to South Brent, a village near Plymouth. His friend knows what to do. Match the questions with the correct answers.

1 Have you ever been to South Brent?

2 How do I get there?

3 Isn’t it worth going by car?

4 Where do I get off the train?

5 If I get a train at about 10.00, when would I arrive in Plymouth?

6 How do I get from Plymouth to South Brent?

7 Where do I get on the bus?

a) In Plymouth.

b) By bus.

c) You should get to Plymouth by 11.15.

d) At the bus-station in the town centre.

e) You can get a train most of the way.

f) Yes, several times.

g) No, go on the train. It’s more comfortable.

1 ... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 1 ...

4 Describe a journey you’ve made recently. Where did you go? How did you travel? What time did you arrive? Etc.

Use as many of the following as possible: go by car/train, etc. go in the car/on the train/on the plane/on my bike, etc. go to Paris/England/North Africa, etc. go into/out of a building, get on/off the bus/the plane/the boat/ту bike, etc. get into/out of the car, get to Paris/France, etc. arrive in Paris/France, etc. arrive at the airport/the station/the ferry terminal, etc.

Check your story with a teacher.