English · Bac pro · B1 to B2

Session 2: How do you get to school or work?

Recap
  1. Give the present continuous of: carry, walk, hurry (he / they).
  2. Where was the trolley car in Rockwell's painting?
  3. Was it the morning or the evening? How do you know?
Answer key
  1. He is carrying / they are carrying; he is walking / they are walking; he is hurrying / they are hurrying.
  2. In the background.
  3. The evening: the windows are lit, the light is golden and the title is End of the Working Day.
Key question: How do we travel every day, and how long does it take?
What you need to say

In this session, you need to say how you travel, how often and how long it takes, ask your classmates the same questions and present the results of a class survey.

For habits, we use the present simple with adverbs of frequency: I usually take the bus. For durations, we use It takes me twenty minutes to get to school. For the results: Most of us..., half of the class..., nobody...

Building your vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
by bus / by train / by car / by bikewith a means of transport (no « the »)I go to school by bus.
on footwalkingShe goes to work on foot.
to give somebody a liftto drive somebody somewhere in your carMy uncle gives me a lift.
to catch / to miss the busto get / not to get the bus in timeI missed the bus this morning.
a bus stop / a station / a platformplaces where you waitThe bus stop is near my house.
to get on / to get offto enter / to leave a bus or trainI get off at the station.
to changeto take another bus or trainI change at the bus station.
a journey / a tripthe act of travelling from one place to anotherMy journey takes forty minutes.
a timetablea list of times of buses or trainsCheck the timetable before you leave.
the busiest timethe time with the most peopleEight o'clock is the busiest time.
far / closea long / a short distanceMy school is not far from my home.
a surveya list of questions to many peopleWe are doing a class survey.
Point prof · frequency and duration
Adverbs of frequency
always (100 %) · usually · often · sometimes · rarely · never (0 %). Place: before the main verb, after be. I usually take the bus. I am never late.
Expressions of frequency
every day, every morning, once a week, twice a week, three times a month (at the end of the sentence). I cycle to school twice a week.
How often...?
How often do you take the train? Once a month.
Duration with take
It takes + person + time + to + verb. It takes me twenty minutes to get to school. Question: How long does it take you to get to school?
Distance
How far is it? It's five kilometres. It's about ten minutes on foot.
Survey results
All of us · most of us · half of the class · a few of us · nobody (+ singular verb): Nobody walks to school.

Quick check. Correct: I take always the bus. It takes to me ten minutes.

Answer keyI always take the bus. It takes me ten minutes.

Exercises

1. by or on?Entryrecognition

  1. I go to school ... bus.
  2. She goes to work ... foot.
  3. They travel ... train.
  4. He comes ... bike when it doesn't rain.
  5. We go to the city centre ... tram.
Answer key
  1. by
  2. on
  3. by
  4. by
  5. by

2. Where does the adverb go?Entryguided

  1. I take the bus. (usually)
  2. My train is late. (often)
  3. She walks to school. (sometimes)
  4. We are on time. (always)
  5. He cycles to work in winter. (never)
  6. My dad gives me a lift. (rarely)
Answer key
  1. I usually take the bus.
  2. My train is often late.
  3. She sometimes walks to school.
  4. We are always on time.
  5. He never cycles to work in winter.
  6. My dad rarely gives me a lift.

3. How long does it take?Entryguided

Write a sentence with It takes...

  1. me / 15 minutes / walk to the station
  2. Sara / half an hour / get to work
  3. us / one hour / go to the city by bus
  4. Tom / five minutes / cycle to school
Answer key
  1. It takes me fifteen minutes to walk to the station.
  2. It takes Sara half an hour to get to work.
  3. It takes us one hour to go to the city by bus.
  4. It takes Tom five minutes to cycle to school.

4. Ask the questionCoreguided

Write the question for each answer.

  1. I go to school by bus.
  2. Twice a week.
  3. It takes me twenty-five minutes.
  4. It's about eight kilometres.
  5. At a quarter past seven.
  6. Yes, I change at the bus station.
Answer key
  1. How do you go to school?
  2. How often do you ... (for example: How often do you cycle to school?)
  3. How long does it take you to get to school?
  4. How far is it?
  5. What time do you leave home?
  6. Do you change buses?

5. Listening: Carlos changes his commuteCorelistening

Watch: Top Tips for Better Journeys to Work: Quieter Times to Travel (35 seconds), Transport for London channel

Watch the video (35 seconds) twice and answer.

  1. What time did Carlos use to travel every morning?
  2. Why was it a bad time?
  3. What did he change?
  4. Which days of the week are quieter?
  5. How does he feel now?
Answer key
  1. Between 8 and 8.30 in the morning.
  2. It was the busiest time.
  3. He shifted (changed) his commute: he travels at a different time.
  4. Mondays and Fridays.
  5. Less stressed: his journey is calmer.

6. The class surveyCoreinteraction

Copy the grid. Ask five classmates. Use full questions: How do you get to school? How long does it take you? How often are you late?

NameHow?How long?How often late?
............
............
Answer key

Model exchange: How do you get to school, Inès? I usually take the bus. How long does it take you? It takes me twenty minutes. How often are you late? Rarely, maybe once a month.

7. Present the resultsCoreyour own production

Write five sentences about your group with: all of us, most of us, half of us, a few of us, nobody. Then say them to the class.

Answer key

Model: Most of us go to school by bus. Half of us leave home before seven thirty. A few of us walk. Nobody cycles in winter. All of us take less than one hour.

8. My journey to schoolCorewriting

Write 60 to 80 words: how you travel, what time you leave, how long it takes, what you do on the way, how often there is a problem.

Answer key

Model: I usually leave home at seven o'clock. I walk to the bus stop: it takes me five minutes. Then I take the bus to the station and I change. The whole journey takes forty-five minutes. On the bus, I often listen to music or I revise my English words. The bus is sometimes late in winter, so I always leave early.

Stretch · B2

Compare past and present habits with used to: Carlos used to travel at eight. Now he travels later. Write four sentences about your own journey in collège and now. Then explain in 60 words why travelling at quieter times can be better for commuters and for the company.

Model

When I was in collège, I used to walk to school because it was close. Now I take two buses. I used to leave at eight; now I leave at seven. Travelling at quieter times is better because the trains are less crowded, the journey is less stressful and employees arrive at work in a better mood.

Homework
  1. Learn the adverbs of frequency and the structure It takes me... to...
  2. Time your journey to school tomorrow morning and write three sentences about it.