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  • Hi, I'm Lori.

  • Welcome to Oxford Online English!

  • In this lesson, you can learn how to talk about transport and driving in English.

  • What's the best way to get around your hometown?

  • Do you drive often?

  • What public transport do you use regularly?

  • In this lesson, you'll see how to answer these questionsand many othersin clear,

  • correct English.

  • Before we start, have you visited our website?

  • If not, check it out: Oxford Online English dot com.

  • There are many free lessons to help you learn English, and you can also book classes with

  • one of our many professional teachers.

  • Our teachers can help you with your spoken English, English writing, or to prepare for

  • exams such as IELTS, FCE or CAE.

  • But now, let's see how you can talk about getting around your city.

  • How do you usually get around?

  • I mostly use public transport, so I'll take the metro, or sometimes buses.

  • I have a car but I don't use it much in the city.

  • What about you?

  • I don't have a car, so I either cycle or walk most places.

  • Sometimes I take the metro or a taxi if I'm going further, or if I'm out in the evening.

  • You cycle?

  • Here?

  • That's brave!

  • There's so much traffic.

  • It's not that bad.

  • Once you know the best routes, you can get anywhere in the city centre quite fast.

  • Often, it's faster than driving, because you can take small streets and you don't

  • get stuck in traffic jams.

  • I guess

  • I still wouldn't do it, though.

  • The metro works well for me.

  • I can always get where I need, and I know how long it's going to take.

  • Yeah, the metro is good, but I hate taking it during rush hour.

  • It's so crowded.

  • Do you cycle to work every day, then?

  • Most days.

  • My office is actually very close, so I can walk in about 20 minutes.

  • I walk in once or twice a week, and cycle on the other days.

  • Wow!

  • That's lucky.

  • It takes me at least 40 minutes to get to work.

  • By metro?

  • Yeah.

  • I have to change lines, which adds a lot of time.

  • Do you remember the question you heard at the beginning of the dialogue?

  • Do you know what this means?

  • This question is asking about how you usually travel around the place where you live.

  • How could you answer?

  • In the dialogue, you heard these phrases: 'I mostly use public transport.'

  • 'I either cycle or walk most places.'

  • 'Sometimes I take the metro or a taxi.'

  • You could change these sentences to talk about your own situation.

  • For example: 'I mostly use the subway.'

  • 'I drive most places.'

  • 'Sometimes I use trams.'

  • With public transport, you can use the verbs 'use' or 'take', as in 'use the

  • metro,' 'use buses', or 'take the metro,' 'take buses.'

  • The meaning is the same.

  • If you're talking about getting around by car, bicycle, or on foot, then you can use

  • the specific verbs: 'drive', 'cycle' and 'walk'.

  • For example: 'I don't drive often.'

  • 'I used to cycle, but I don't have a bike any more.'

  • 'I walk if I'm going somewhere in my neighbourhood.'

  • Next, let's see how you can talk about public transport where you live.

  • So, what's the best way to get to your place?

  • Are you driving, or taking the metro?

  • I'll come by metro, so I don't have to worry about parking.

  • You live on the green line, right?

  • Yeah.

  • So, you can take the green line to Victoria in the centre.

  • From there, you can either change to the blue line for two stops, or you can get a bus.

  • Which is better?

  • I'd take the bus.

  • It leaves you closer to my house.

  • Take bus number 27 and get off at October Square.

  • It's easy to find; it's the first stop after you cross the river.

  • Where does it leave from?

  • The bus stop is right outside the metro station.

  • You can't miss it!

  • How often do the buses go?

  • They're very regular.

  • I don't know exactly, but I never wait more than 10 minutes, and normally much less.

  • OK, I'll do that then.

  • What time do the buses run until?

  • I'm just thinking about getting back.

  • The buses run until midnight, so you should be fine.

  • The green line stops at one, right?

  • It's a Friday, so it'll run until two o'clock.

  • I don't think it'll be a problem.

  • Great, so, see you tomorrow!

  • Here's a question for you: what public transport do you have in your hometown?

  • What do you use to get around?

  • Most cities have buses.

  • Big cities might have a metro or subway.

  • There are different words for this, because many cities have their own name.

  • In New York and Tokyo, it's the subway; in Moscow and Paris, it's the metro; in

  • London, it's the Tube or the Underground; in Berlin, it's the U-Bahn, and so on.

  • All these words have the same meaning.

  • If you aren't sure which to use, say 'metro' or 'subway'.

  • Some cities have other kinds of public transport, like trams, light rail, or shared taxis.

  • In many cities, you refer to metro lines by their colour.

  • So, you might say: 'I live on the green line.'

  • 'Change to the blue line at Victoria.'

  • Buses have numbers, so you can say things like: 'Take bus number 27 and get off at

  • October Square.'

  • 'You can catch the number two bus from just outside the metro station.'

  • If it's clear what you're talking about, you might just use the number, and not say

  • the word 'bus' at all.

  • For example: 'Take the number three for five stops.'

  • In the dialogue, you heard these questions about public transport: 'Where does it leave

  • from?'

  • 'How often do the buses go?'

  • 'What time do the buses run until?'

  • Of course, you can use these questions for other forms of transport, as in: 'How often

  • do the trains go?' or: 'What time does the subway run until?'

  • Do you remember how to answer these questions?

  • What could you say?

  • You might say: 'It leaves from opposite the shopping centre.'

  • 'There are trains every five minutes or so.'

  • 'The metro stops at midnight.'

  • Now, it's your turn!

  • Here's a task for you.

  • Imagine that someone is coming to visit you.

  • Pick a place in your hometown, for example the airport, train station or bus station.

  • Could you give clear directions in English so that your friend can get to your home using

  • public transport?

  • Think about it.

  • Pause the video, and try saying your directions out loud.

  • If you want to get really good, practise several times, until you can say everything fluently,

  • without hesitation.

  • What's next?

  • Let's see how you can talk about driving and car journeys in English.

  • Good to see you!

  • How was the drive?

  • It wasn't too bad.

  • We got stuck in traffic near Birmingham, so it was slow for a while, but everything else

  • was smooth.

  • It's always bad around there.

  • How long did it take?

  • It was a bit over four hours.

  • That's about average.

  • Your car looks very futuristic.

  • Is it electric or something?

  • No, it's a hybrid.

  • Huh

  • What's it like to drive?

  • It's nice!

  • It uses the battery at low speeds, so it's really quiet to drive in the city.

  • It's also extremely efficient, which is good for longer trips.

  • I'm thinking of getting a new car soon.

  • I'm still driving my old Subaru, but it was second-hand when I bought it, and it's

  • got over 200,000 kilometres on the clock, so it's starting to show its age.

  • It's broken down three times this year already.

  • What are you thinking of getting?

  • I'm not sure.

  • Part of me wants to get a bigger car, like an SUV or something, but then I know it'll

  • be a nightmare to find parking, or driving around the small streets in the centre.

  • Yeah, plus those things go through fuel.

  • They're expensive to run.

  • Anyway, I'll give it some thought.

  • Do you drive?

  • What kind of car do you have?

  • In the dialogue, you heard these sentences.

  • But, there's a word missing in each sentence.

  • Can you remember the missing words?

  • Here are the answers.

  • Do you know what these phrases mean?

  • If you get stuck in traffic, you get in a traffic jam.

  • 'Second-hand' means the same as 'used'.

  • If you're buying a car, you can buy a new car, or you can buy a second-hand car, which

  • has already been used.

  • Second-hand cars are generally much cheaper than new cars.

  • If a car is efficient, it doesn't use so much petrol, so it's cheaper to run.

  • Smaller cars and hybrids are generally more efficient, while bigger cars, like SUVs, use

  • more petrol, so they're less efficient.

  • If your car breaks down, it stops working.

  • Maybe there's a problem with the engine, and you can't drive it.

  • Also, in the dialogue, you heard these questions.

  • We're going to show you four answers.

  • You have a job; match the question to the answer.

  • There's one extra answer, which you don't need.

  • Take a look!

  • Pause the video if you want more time to think about your answers!

  • Ready?

  • Here are the answers.

  • Let's look at one or two useful words here.

  • 'Smooth' means 'without problems'.

  • If you say 'the journey was smooth', you mean that everything happened as you expected,

  • and you didn't have any problems.

  • If a car goes through fuel, it uses a lot of gas, so it's inefficient and probably

  • expensive to run.

  • A 'hybrid' is a car which uses electrical power at low speeds, and a gasoline enginelike

  • a regular carat higher speeds.

  • Hybrids are quieter and can be more environmentally-friendly.

  • What about you?

  • If you drive, can you make two to three sentences talking about your car, what kind of car it

  • is, and what you like or don't like about it.

  • If you don't drive, make two to three sentences about what car you'd like to have.

  • Use the language from the dialogue and this section.

  • Remember: you can always go back and review a section if you need to!

  • Pause the video, and make your answer now.

  • How was that?

  • Could you make a fluent answer?

  • If so, great!

  • Let's look at one more point.

  • Are you doing anything?

  • We need to book flights for our trip.

  • Yeahabout that

  • I had a look the other day.

  • They're really expensive.

  • Actually, I was looking, too.

  • Direct flights are expensive, but I found a couple of cheaper options.

  • The first choice is that we fly through Madrid.

  • We can also go through Oslo, which is much cheaper, but there's a seven-hour layover.

  • Seven hours?

  • What time would we get there?

  • About four in the morning the following day.

  • Eurgh

  • What about the Madrid one?

  • Which airline is it?

  • We'd fly Greenjet into Madrid, and then Prince Air for the second leg.

  • Greenjet?

  • No way!

  • I flew with them last year.

  • They charge you for everything, and the seats are tiny.

  • Besides, we need to take at least one checked bag, right?

  • I guess.

  • They charge 55 Euro if your bag is over 10kg.

  • Plus, they don't serve food or drinks, or even water.

  • You have to buy it.

  • Really?

  • That's ridiculous!

  • Shall we take the Oslo route, then?

  • I suppose.

  • Why don't we have one last look, to see if we can find anything better?

  • Sure.

  • When was the last time you flew somewhere?

  • Where did you go?

  • In the dialogue, you heard these words and phrases to talk about air travel.

  • Could you explain what they mean?

  • A direct flight means you take one flight to your destination.

  • You don't stop or change planes in another city.

  • If you don't fly direct, and you change planes, you might have to wait in the airport.

  • This waiting time is called a layover.

  • A 'checked bag' is a bag or suitcase that you check in, so that it flies in the hold

  • of the plane.

  • The opposite is hand baggage, meaning bags which you carry with you.

  • In the dialogue, we talked about some of the disadvantages of flying with a specific airline.

  • Do you remember what you heard?

  • You heard: 'They charge you for everything.'

  • 'The seats are tiny.'

  • 'They don't serve food or drinks.'

  • What do you think that first sentence means?

  • Many budget airlines offer cheap tickets, but you have to pay for extras.

  • For example, you might have to pay to check in a bag, or you might have to buy food and

  • drink on the plane.

  • 'They charge you for everything' suggests that this airline has a lot of extra charges,

  • which could make your ticket more expensive!

  • Of course, not all airlines are like this.

  • You could also talk about the advantages of a certain airline.

  • For example, you could say: 'The seats have lots of legroom.'

  • 'Their staff are very helpful and polite.'

  • 'The food is pretty good.'

  • Can you guess what 'legroom' means?

  • It's how much space you have for your legs and feet.

  • If you're tall, you need a seat with lots of legroom.

  • Here's a question: which airlines do you think are the best or worst?

  • Can you think of two to three advantages or disadvantages of the airline you chose?

  • Try to make two or three sentences, and say them out loud.

  • Pause the video and do it now!

  • We have one final task for you.

  • How do you get around your hometown?

  • What are the advantages or disadvantages of different forms of transport where you live?

  • Write a short answer, put it in the comments, and we'll give you some feedback and corrections.

  • Thanks for watching!

  • See you next time!

Hi, I'm Lori.

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