Transportation: Prepositions used for traveling

This lesson is on travel and transportation vocabulary and prepositions, designed to help learners build a strong foundation in essential English terms and prepositions. Whether you’re navigating a bustling airport, catching a bus, or planning a journey, this lesson equips you with practical words and phrases to confidently talk about travel.

Through clear vocabulary lists, useful sentence structures, and realistic example conversations, you’ll learn how to describe your travel experiences, use prepositions like “on,” “in,” and “to” correctly, and apply them in real-life situations. With interactive teaching strategies, visual aids, and fun activities, this lesson makes learning both effective and enjoyable, helping you communicate effortlessly about transportation and destinations.

Basic vocabulary

Start with essential words related to traveling, transportation, and prepositions. These should be simple, commonly used terms that learners can easily understand and apply.

Vocabulary list

• Travel: To go from one place to another, often for a trip.
• Transportation: The way you travel (e.g., car, bus, plane).
• Car: A vehicle with four wheels for personal travel.
• Bus: A large vehicle for many passengers.
• Train: A vehicle that runs on rails.
• Plane: A vehicle that flies in the sky.
• Bicycle/bike: A two-wheeled vehicle powered by pedaling.
• Airport: A place where planes take off and land.
• Station: A place for buses or trains (e.g., bus station, train station).
• Ticket: A pass to use transportation.
• Journey: A trip from one place to another.
• Destination: The place you are traveling to.
• Preposition: A word that shows the relationship between things (e.g., in, on, to).
• On time: Arriving or leaving at the scheduled time.
• Late: Not arriving or leaving on time.

Key prepositions for travel and transportation

• On: Used for public transportation (e.g., on the bus, on the train, on the plane).
• In: Used for private or enclosed vehicles (e.g., in a car, in a taxi).
• To: Used for destinations (e.g., to Paris, to the airport).
• By: Used for the mode of transportation (e.g., by car, by plane).
• At: Used for specific locations or points (e.g., at the station, at the airport).
• From: Used for the starting point (e.g., from London).
• Into/out of: Used for entering or leaving a vehicle or place (e.g., get into a car, get out of a taxi).
• Off: Used for leaving public transportation (e.g., get off the bus).

Teaching tips

• Use visuals like pictures of a bus, plane, or train station to connect vocabulary and prepositions to real contexts.
• Practice pronunciation of prepositions like “on” (ON) or “into” (IN-too) and transportation terms like “bicycle” (BY-si-kul).
• Create flashcards with prepositions on one side and example sentences (e.g., “on the bus”) on the other for quick recall.

Useful phrases

Teach simple sentence structures using prepositions for traveling and transportation. These phrases should be practical and adaptable for real-life situations.

Key phrases

1. Describing travel
   • “I travel to [place] by [transportation].”
   • “I go to [place] on/in a [bus/car].”
   • “I get on/off the [bus/train/plane].”
   • “I get into/out of the [car/taxi].”
2. Talking about journeys
   • “I’m going from [place] to [place].”
   • “The [bus/train] leaves at [time].”
   • “My journey takes [time, e.g., two hours].”
   • “The plane arrives at [destination].”
3. Expressing preferences or experiences
   • “I like traveling by [transportation] because [reason].”
   • “I don’t like going on the [bus/train] because [reason].”
   • “The [bus/plane] was on time/late.”
   • “It’s easy to get to [place] by [transportation].”
4. Asking questions
   • “How do you get to [place]?”
   • “Do you travel by [transportation]?”
   • “Is the [bus/train] on time?”
   • “Where do you get off the [bus/train]?”

Teaching tips

• Write phrases on a board or handout and model their use (e.g., “I travel to school by bus. I get on at the station.”).
• Have learners substitute their own destinations or transportation methods into the phrases.
• Practice prepositions carefully, as learners may confuse “on” (public transport) with “in” (private vehicles).

Example conversations

Provide short, realistic dialogues to model how to use prepositions when talking about traveling and transportation. These examples progress from basic to more detailed.

Conversation 1: Basic exchange

Anna: Hi, Tom! How do you get to school?
Tom: I go by bus. I get on at the station.
Anna: Is it fast?
Tom: Yes, it’s on time most days.
Anna: Nice! Where do you get off?
Tom: I get off at the park.

Conversation 2: Adding details

Sara: Hey, Juan, do you travel by plane?
Juan: Yes, I went to Paris by plane last month.
Sara: Cool! Did you get to the airport on time?
Juan: Yes, I took a taxi and got into it at 6 a.m.
Sara: How was the journey?
Juan: It was great, but the plane was a bit late.

Conversation 3: More advanced

Mark: Hi, Lisa! How do you get to work every day?
Lisa: I travel from my house to the city by train. I get on at Central Station.
Mark: Do you like going by train?
Lisa: Yes, it’s relaxing, and I get off right at my office.
Mark: What about weekends? Do you drive?
Lisa: Sometimes. I get in my car and drive to the beach.

Teaching tips

• Role-play these dialogues with the learner, switching roles to practice asking and answering.
• Encourage learners to adapt the dialogues using their own travel routines or destinations.
• In group settings, pair students to practice, prompting them to ask at least one follow-up question.

Teaching strategy

Here’s a step-by-step lesson plan to teach this topic effectively (approximately 45 minutes).

Step 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Ask: “How do you travel to school or work?” or “What transportation do you use?” to spark interest.
• Show a picture or short video of transportation modes (e.g., a bus, train, or airport) to introduce the topic.

Step 2: Vocabulary and prepositions introduction (10 minutes)

• Present the vocabulary list and key prepositions using visuals or a slideshow of transportation scenes.
• Practice pronunciation, especially for prepositions (e.g., “on” vs. “in”) and terms like “destination” (des-tin-AY-shun).
• Play a quick game: Say a sentence with a blank (e.g., “I travel ___ plane”), and learners fill in the correct preposition (e.g., “by”).

Step 3: Phrase practice (10 minutes)

• Display key phrases and model them with your own example (e.g., “I go to work by car. I get in at my house.”).
• Have learners practice by filling in the blanks (e.g., “I travel to ____ by ____.”).
• Correct preposition use and pronunciation gently, ensuring clarity.

Step 4: Conversation practice (15 minutes)

• Read one example conversation aloud, emphasizing natural tone and correct prepositions.
• Pair learners (or role-play with them) to practice the dialogues, encouraging personalization with their own travel experiences.
• Ask learners to create their own short dialogue using prepositions for transportation.

Step 5: Wrap-up and personalization (5 minutes)

• Have each learner share one or two sentences about their travel habits (e.g., “I go to school by bus. I get on at the corner.”).
• Provide feedback on their use of vocabulary, prepositions, and phrases.
• Assign homework: Write 3-5 sentences about how they travel somewhere or practice a dialogue with a friend.

Additional tips

• Cultural sensitivity: Be aware that transportation access varies (e.g., some learners may rely on walking or public transport). Allow flexibility to discuss their experiences.
• Visual aids: Use maps, photos of transportation modes, or videos (e.g., a YouTube clip of a train station) to make the lesson engaging.
• Listening practice: Play a short audio or video clip (e.g., from an ESL resource or travel vlog) of someone describing their travel routine to expose learners to different accents.
• Adapt for level: For beginners, focus on simple phrases (e.g., “I go by bus.”). For intermediate learners, encourage details (e.g., “I travel from home to the city by train because it’s fast.”).
• Incorporate technology: If teaching online, share a screen with transportation images or use a virtual whiteboard to highlight prepositions.

Common mistakes to address

• Preposition errors: Learners may confuse “on” and “in” (e.g., “I go on a car” instead of “I go in a car”). Emphasize “on” for public transport (bus, train, plane) and “in” for private vehicles (car, taxi).
• Grammar: Learners may say “I go to by bus” instead of “I go by bus.” Clarify that “to” is for destinations, not modes of transport.
• Pronunciation: Words like “journey” or “station” may be mispronounced. Practice these explicitly.

Example activity: “Travel preposition game”

For group classes, try this interactive activity.

• Create cards with transportation modes (e.g., “bus,” “car”) and destinations (e.g., “school,” “airport”).
• Learners draw a card and make a sentence using the correct preposition (e.g., “I go to school by bus”).
• Alternatively, play a “Find Someone Who” game (e.g., “Find someone who travels by train”).

Homework or follow-up

• Writing: Write a short paragraph (5 sentences) about how you travel to a favorite place, using at least three prepositions.
• Speaking: Record a 30-second audio or video describing your daily travel routine with correct prepositions.
• Research: Look up a picture or video of a transportation mode and describe how you would use it in 2-3 sentences, using prepositions.