Grammar
Articles with transport and media
You can go to work by bus, wait for the bus at your stop, listen to the radio, and watch television. The nouns are familiar, but each phrase follows its own article pattern.
Choose a, the, or no article in common phrases about transport and media by deciding whether you mean a general method, a particular vehicle or device, or a named source of information.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I travel by train and listen to the radio. /aɪ ˈtrævəl baɪ treɪn ən ˈlɪsən tə ðə ˈreɪdiəʊ/
The short answer
Use no article after by for a general method of transport. Use a or the when you mean one vehicle, trip, or service. With media, learn the usual phrase: watch television, listen to the radio, read the newspaper, and see a report on the news.
I usually travel by train, but I took the late train yesterday.
Why it works: By train names the method in general. The late train identifies one particular service.
6 more examples
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Leila goes to college by bus every morning.
By bus names Leila's usual method of travel, so bus has no article.
Not this:Leila waited for
the busoutside the college. What changes: The bus is a particular service that Leila expects at that stop. -
We caught a train to the airport.
A train means one suitable train, without saying which service it was before this sentence.
Not this:We missed
the trainthat leaves at six thirty. What changes: The clause that leaves at six thirty identifies one specific train. -
Marta was reading on the train when her phone rang.
The train refers to the particular train Marta was using in this situation.
Not this:Marta prefers to travel
by train. What changes: By train describes a general travel method, so it has no article. -
We watched television after dinner.
Television names the general activity of watching programs, so this phrase normally has no article.
Not this:We moved
the televisioncloser to the wall. What changes: The television is a physical device in the room, so the identifies it. -
I heard the weather report on the radio.
Listen to the radio is a common expression for receiving radio broadcasts.
Not this:
The radioon the shelf needs new batteries. What changes: Here the radio is a particular device, identified by on the shelf. -
The article appeared in the newspaper on Friday.
The newspaper refers to a publication or issue that carries the article.
Not this:She bought
a newspaperat the station. What changes: A newspaper means one copy or one publication that is new to the conversation.
Read the full guide
Begin by deciding what the phrase means. Ask whether you are naming a way of travelling or pointing to a particular bus, train, car, or flight. Then ask whether a media word means an activity, a device, or a specific source. The same noun can take different articles when its job in the sentence changes.
Use by with a general travel method
Use by plus a transport noun when you mean the general method, not one particular vehicle. Say by bus, by train, by car, by taxi, and by plane. The noun has no a, an, or the in this pattern. It often answers the question How do you travel?
They travelled by plane because the journey was too long by road.
By plane names the method of travel. It does not identify one flight or one aircraft.
Complete the phrase for a general method: I go to work by ___ train.
Use no article: I go to work by train.
Use a or the for a vehicle or service
Use a or an when you introduce one vehicle, trip, or service and the listener does not know which one. Use the when the situation, an earlier sentence, or extra words identify it. This is the same general article choice you use with other countable nouns.
Could we get a taxi from the station?
A taxi means any suitable taxi. The speaker has not identified one particular vehicle.
The taxi outside the station is available.
Outside the station identifies the taxi that the speaker means.
Which article fits: We need to catch ___ bus to the museum?
Use the if both people know the route or stop: We need to catch the bus to the museum. Use a if any bus is meant and no particular service has been identified.
Choose on or in for the journey
When you describe where a passenger is, English commonly uses on with larger public transport and bikes: on the bus, on a train, on a plane, and on a bike. Use in with cars and taxis: in a car or in a taxi. The article still depends on whether the vehicle is general or particular.
I left my umbrella on the bus this morning.
The bus is the particular bus from the speaker's journey this morning.
The children fell asleep in the car.
In is the usual preposition for being inside a car. The car is clear from the family situation.
Choose the usual preposition: She was ___ a taxi when she called.
Use in: She was in a taxi when she called.
Separate television from the television
Watch television and watch TV usually describe the activity of watching programs. In this meaning, television has no article. Use the television when you mean the physical device, especially when you can point to it, move it, repair it, or describe where it is.
We do not watch much television during the week.
Television means the activity or medium in general, so the phrase has no article.
Please turn off the television before you leave.
The television is a particular device in the shared room or home.
Which phrase means the activity: watch television or move the television?
Watch television means the activity. Move the television means move the device.
Learn common phrases for radio and news
Use listen to the radio for radio broadcasts. Use hear or see something on the news for a news program or news coverage. The article in the news is part of a common phrase. If you mean one report, use a report or the report according to the usual rules for countable nouns.
We heard about the road closure on the news.
On the news names the source of the information in this common expression.
He listened to the radio while he cooked.
Listen to the radio is the usual phrase for receiving a radio broadcast.
Complete the sentence: I saw an interview ___ the news last night.
Use on: I saw an interview on the news last night.
Use newspaper for a publication or a copy
Use the newspaper when you mean a particular publication or issue that is clear in context. Use a newspaper when you mean one copy or one publication that has not been identified before. The word can refer to the printed object or to the organization that publishes news, so use the rest of the sentence to show your meaning.
The newspaper published the interview online.
The newspaper refers to the particular publication that published the interview.
I picked up a newspaper before the train arrived.
A newspaper means one copy that is introduced for the first time.
Which phrase fits a report in one known publication: I read it in ___ newspaper?
Use the when the publication is known from the situation: I read it in the newspaper.
Before you go
Remember this
Use no article after by when you name a general transport method: by bus, by train, and by car. Use a or the when you mean one vehicle or service. Use on with buses, trains, planes, and bikes, but in with cars and taxis. For media, remember the usual phrases: watch television, listen to the radio, read the newspaper, and hear a report on the news.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Articles with transport and media"
Why do we say by bus without an article?
By bus names a general method of travelling, so English uses no article in this pattern. The same rule applies to by train, by car, by taxi, and by plane. Use a or the when you mean an actual vehicle or service, such as a bus to the airport or the bus that stops near your home.
Leila goes to college by bus every morning.
What is the difference between by train and on the train?
By train describes the method of travel in general: I prefer to travel by train. On the train usually describes your position on a particular journey or service: I left my bag on the train. The article shows that the train is identifiable in that situation.
Leila waited for the bus outside the college.
Should I say in the car or on the car?
Say in a car or in the car when someone is inside the vehicle. Use on a bus, on a train, on a plane, and on a bike for those forms of transport. Article choice still depends on meaning: a car can be any car, while the car is one that the listener can identify.
We caught a train to the airport.
Why do we say watch television but turn on the television?
Watch television usually means the activity of watching programs, so television has no article. Turn on the television means switch on a physical device in a particular room or home, so the identifies that device. Watch TV is also common for the activity.
We missed the train that leaves at six thirty.
Which articles do I use with radio, news, and newspaper?
Learn the usual expressions: listen to the radio and hear something on the news. Use the newspaper for a known publication or issue, and a newspaper for one copy or a new publication in the conversation. These phrases combine article choice with the usual preposition and verb.
Marta was reading on the train when her phone rang.