Articles with Transport (by car, on the bus)

Use zero article with 'by + transport' (by car) and 'the' with some specific transport (on the bus).

intermediate

When to Use

•Zero article with 'by + transport' to talk about the method: by car, by bus, by train.
•Use 'the' when referring to a particular service/vehicle: on the bus (we took), on the train (we booked).
•Use 'a' with singular countable vehicles: in a taxi, in a car.
•Use 'the' when context makes it specific: in the car (we arrived in).

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

by + transport (no article) | on/in + the (specific) | in + a (one vehicle)

Negative (-)

Don’t add 'the' after 'by' in the standard transport pattern.

Question (?)

Did you go by car or by train?

💡 Common: by car/bus/train/plane. Also common: on the bus/train, in a taxi. Many phrases are idiomatic, so learn them as chunks.

Examples

✓We went by train.

✗We went by the train. (general)

By + transport usually takes no article when it means the method.

✓We were on the bus when it started raining.

On the bus often refers to a particular ride/service in context.

✓I came in a taxi.

Taxi is singular countable → a taxi.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Memorize travel chunks: by car, by bus, by train, by plane.
• Use 'a' with one vehicle: in a taxi, in a car.
• Use 'the' when it’s specific: on the bus we took, in the car we rented.

zero-article articles-special-cases

Articles with Transport (by car, on the bus)

Use zero article with 'by + transport' (by car) and 'the' with some specific transport (on the bus).

intermediate

When to Use

•Zero article with 'by + transport' to talk about the method: by car, by bus, by train.
•Use 'the' when referring to a particular service/vehicle: on the bus (we took), on the train (we booked).
•Use 'a' with singular countable vehicles: in a taxi, in a car.
•Use 'the' when context makes it specific: in the car (we arrived in).

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

by + transport (no article) | on/in + the (specific) | in + a (one vehicle)

Negative (-)

Don’t add 'the' after 'by' in the standard transport pattern.

Question (?)

Did you go by car or by train?

💡 Common: by car/bus/train/plane. Also common: on the bus/train, in a taxi. Many phrases are idiomatic, so learn them as chunks.

Examples

✓We went by train.

✗We went by the train. (general)

By + transport usually takes no article when it means the method.

✓We were on the bus when it started raining.

On the bus often refers to a particular ride/service in context.

✓I came in a taxi.

Taxi is singular countable → a taxi.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Memorize travel chunks: by car, by bus, by train, by plane.
• Use 'a' with one vehicle: in a taxi, in a car.
• Use 'the' when it’s specific: on the bus we took, in the car we rented.

zero-article articles-special-cases

Articles with Transport (by car, on the bus)

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

Articles with Transport (by car, on the bus)

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗I go to work by the car.

✗We were in taxi.

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗I go to work by the car.

✗We were in taxi.

💡 Practice Tips

Related