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How do you get to work? Means of transportation with by and on foot

An A1 ESL lesson plan on means of transportation, from by bus and by subway to on foot.

Grammar
By + transport with no article (I go by bus.), on foot for walking, take the subway, and the question How do you get to work?
Topic
Transportation and the trip to work or school, with Boston's Tremont Street subway from 1897, North America's first subway tunnel, and words such as commute, route, passenger and bus stop.
Activities
A station sign to read, a dialogue about the roommates' commutes, self-checking drills, a chat with a new classmate, open-box questions and a written message about getting to work.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Let's go! Buses, bikes and trains

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: getting aroundVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: Boston's first subway

    • Look at the photo: Park Street StationPictureUnlock
    • Read the station signReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: how do you get to work?

    • Listen to Emma and TundeListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: by bus, on foot

    • Study the scheme: by bus, on footGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: how do you get to work?Fill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: by, on, theDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: my commute

    • Choose the right replies: a new classmateChatTry it
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a message: how I get to workWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message: my commuteSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

22 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Transportation vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • bus stop
  • train
  • tunnel
  • cab
  • passenger
  • route
  • commute

Grammar: by + transport, take the bus and on foot

Most modes of transportation follow one pattern, by + the vehicle, and walking has a phrase of its own, on foot. With the roommates' Monday commutes as examples, learners compare three ways to say how they travel, go by, take the and walk, and answer How do you get to work? for themselves.

How do you get to work? By bus, by subway, on foot!

Say how you go to work or school: go by…, take the…, walk.

By bus, by subway: no a, no the

After by, the vehicle stands alone: by bus, by train, by bike, by ferry. Any a or the after by is wrong, so it's never by the bus or by a car, and never on bus either.

  • by bus
  • by subway
  • by train
  • by bike
  • by car
  • by cab
  • by ferry

Go by, take, walk: three ways to say it

The table sets each pattern beside its he and she form: I go to work by bus, She goes to work by bus; We take the subway, He takes the subway. Walking is just walk (They walk to school) or go on foot, never by foot.

How?I, you, we, theyhe, she, it
go by + transportI go to work by bus.She goes to work by bus.
take the + transportWe take the subway.He takes the subway.
walkThey walk to school.Liam walks to class.
go on foot (= walk)You go to school on foot.She goes to work on foot.
notI don't go by car.He doesn't take the bus.

Take the bus, take a cab

Take is the other everyday verb for getting around, and it usually comes with the: take the bus, take the subway, take the train. A cab is the exception: take a cab. After by, the article disappears again: by cab.

take the bus, take a cab

With take, we usually say the: take the bus, take the subway, take the train. For a cab, we usually say a: take a cab. With by, no a and no the: by bus, by cab.

How do you get to work?

Get to means go and arrive: How do you get to school? Any of the patterns answers it (I go by train. I walk.), and yes/no questions take do or does. Say how long with takes: My commute takes 20 minutes.

Questions and answers

QuestionAnswer
How do you get to work?I go by train. / I take the train.
How do you get to school?I walk. / I go on foot.
Do you go to work by car?Yes, I do. / No, I don't. I go by bike.
Does she take the bus?Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't. She walks.

get to work, it takes 20 minutes

get to work = go and arrive at work. How do you get to school? Time: My commute takes 20 minutes. It takes about an hour.

Common mistakes

  • I go to work by the bus.

    I go to work by bus.

    by + transport: no the, no a

  • She goes to school on bus.

    She goes to school by bus.

    by bus (not: on bus)

  • I go to school by foot.

    I go to school on foot.

    on foot (not by foot)

  • I go by walk.

    I walk. / I go on foot.

    walk is a verb: I walk

More lessons on this grammar: Prepositions lessons and exercises

Try the by and on foot exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 10 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 1 audio clip
  • 2 pictures
  • 1 transcript

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say how they get to work or school: I go by subway. I take the bus. I walk.
  • use by with no a or the (by bus, by cab) and say on foot, not by foot
  • describe other people's commutes with he and she: She goes to work by bus. He doesn't take the bus.
  • ask How do you get to work? and say how long the trip takes: My commute takes 20 minutes.

Lesson 9 opens Getting around, the third unit of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on lesson 1, where verbs took -s after he and she, now in She goes to work by bus, and on the Does…? questions and short answers of lesson 6; lesson 10 then adds wh- questions with does. Boston suits the topic: many of its commuters take the subway or the bus, and a lot of them walk.

The lesson opens with a spin wheel about bikes, trains and walking, then ten words, from go and take to passenger and commute, with pictures and audio. Students then read the sign at Park Street Station about North America's first subway tunnel, opened in 1897, and listen to Emma and Tunde (an AI-voiced dialogue) go through how each roommate gets to work. After the scheme come four exercises that check each answer at once: choosing the right word, a gap-fill with goes, takes and walks, a drag-and-drop of by, on and the, and picking the right sentence. In the speaking chapter, they reply to a new classmate's messages about getting to school, then answer open-box questions about their own commute.

Two self-checking tasks open the homework, one on word order and one on what the words mean. Students then write a message to a new coworker or classmate about how they get to work and record a voice message about their commute, and the teacher reviews both.

Grammar:
by + transport · on foot · take the bus · How do you get to work?
Topic:
getting around · transportation · Boston · the subway · commute

Teaching tips

  • Run a class survey first: each student asks three classmates How do you get to school? and reports one answer with -s: My partner goes by bus.
  • Mime the trip and let the class name it: hold a steering wheel, pedal a bike or wave down a cab for by car, by bike or take a cab, then walk in place for on foot.
  • Before the station sign, ask how long a trip across your town takes. The sign's numbers, 10 to 20 minutes on the street and under 8 in the tunnel, show why Boston built it.
  • Write the chat's wrong replies on the board, like I go by the bus and I go by walk, and have pairs fix them before they open the chat.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9 · you're hereHow do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

How do you talk about means of transportation in English?
Use by + the vehicle, with no article: I go to work by bus. She goes to school by train. Two other patterns say the same thing: take the + the vehicle (We take the subway.) and, for walking, walk or go on foot. The A1 lesson How do you get to work? on edio.ai practices all three with how four roommates get to work, from a cab to a bike.
How do you answer "How do you get to work?"
Answer with I go by…, I take the… or I walk: I go by subway. I take the bus. I walk to work. Then add a detail, like the time you leave or how long the trip takes: I take the subway at seven, and it takes about 30 minutes. Get to means go and arrive, so How do you get to school? works the same way.
Is it "on foot" or "by foot"?
It's on foot: walking doesn't take by. I go to school on foot. My sister goes to school on foot. On foot means the same as walk, so I walk to school works too, while by foot is a common mistake, and so is I go by walk, because walk is a verb. The chat in How do you get to work?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, lists both slips among its wrong replies.
Is it "by bus" or "by the bus"?
It's by bus, with no the and no a: I go to work by bus. We go to the beach by car. My grandma goes to the store by cab. The article comes back with take, as in take the bus or take a cab. And for how you travel, it's by bus, not on bus: She goes to school by bus.
What's the difference between "take the bus" and "go by bus"?
Take the bus and go by bus mean the same: the bus is how you travel. I go to work by bus and I take the bus to work are both correct. Only the grammar differs: by takes no article, while take uses the for a bus, the subway or a train, and a for a cab. Never mix the two, as in He takes by subway.
What are the modes of transportation in English?
The everyday modes of transportation are bus, subway, train, car, cab, bike, ferry and walking. All but walking follow by: by bus, by subway, by ferry, but on foot. American English says subway for a city's underground trains and cab for a car with a driver you pay. To ask about them, use How do you get to work? or Do you go by car?
What transportation vocabulary do beginners need?
Beginners need the vehicles, two verbs and some trip words: bus, subway, train, bike and cab; go and take; and bus stop, passenger, route and commute. A commute is your trip to work or school every day, and a route is the way from one place to another. Put together: My commute is easy. I take the subway at seven.
How do I teach means of transportation to beginners?
Begin with the students' own trips: ask How do you get to school? and sort the answers under go by, take the and walk. Then move to family and friends, so I take the bus becomes My mom takes the bus. How do you get to work?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, builds up to that step: in its chat, a new classmate asks how the student's mom and dad get to work.
What's a good game for practicing transportation words?
A spin-the-wheel warm-up works well: each spin lands on a question to answer aloud, such as Do you have a bike? What color is it? Open boxes later push the grammar further: You're a visitor in Boston. Do you go by subway, by bike or on foot? Why? Both are in the A1 lesson How do you get to work? on edio.ai, and a game of matching words with their meanings follows as homework.
How do you practice means of transportation one-to-one?
Compare your real routes: teacher and student each describe the trip to work or school, then ask about each other's family: Does your brother take the bus? Without a partner, the chat still works: a new classmate asks how the student gets to school, and each reply comes with two wrong versions, such as I go on bus. The open boxes then give both of you questions: Is your commute long or short? Is it fun?
What's good homework for practicing how you get to work?
Good homework is a short message about your own commute, since it needs by, take and walk in one text: I go to work by subway. Then I walk from the station to school. In How do you get to work? on edio.ai, students write to a new coworker or classmate and record a voice message about their commute, once two tasks that check themselves, word order and matching, are done.
Are there interactive exercises for "by bus" and "on foot"?
Yes: self-checking gap-fills and message chats mark each answer as students go. With no account needed, this page plays four parts of How do you get to work?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai: the Park Street station sign, Emma and Tunde's dialogue, a gap-fill of goes, takes, by and on, and a chat with a new classmate. The other drills, like the drag-and-drop of by, on and the, are locked.
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