Transport Phrases — By Bus, By Train, On the Bus — English Grammar Exercises
in the 1950s, on the left, at three o'clock, by train — master the hardest article choices in English
Transport Phrases: When 'By' Removes the Article
The by + transport pattern is one of the most reliable zero-article rules in English: no article is ever used when 'by' expresses the mode of travel. The underlying principle is that 'by' frames the vehicle as a method or category, not a specific object. Learner corpus data identifies 'by the train', 'by the car', 'by the bus' as high-frequency errors at B1 level, especially among learners from languages where articles are obligatory with vehicle nouns.
By + Transport = No Article
He came by taxi from the airport.
We travelled by train from Paris to London.
They flew — no wait: they went by plane to New York.
Other Prepositions: Article Returns
When the preposition changes from 'by' to 'on' or 'in', the article reappears because the vehicle is now treated as a specific object.
by car (no article — method) ↔ in the car (article — specific car)
by taxi (no article) ↔ in a taxi (article — one particular taxi)
Common Mistakes
✗ She travels by the plane to France every summer. → ✓ She travels by plane to France.
✗ He came by a taxi. → ✓ He came by taxi. (or: He came in a taxi.)
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you use 'the' with geographical names?
The rules are pattern-based. Rivers, oceans, seas, and deserts always take 'the': the Amazon, the Pacific, the Sahara. Mountain ranges take 'the' but individual peaks do not: the Alps, the Andes — but Mount Everest, Mount Fuji. Countries with a political word or a plural name take 'the': the United Kingdom, the United States, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands — but France, Japan, Brazil, Poland take no article. Continents never take 'the': in Africa, across Europe, throughout Asia. Individual lakes take no article when the word 'Lake' appears in the name: Lake Geneva, Lake Victoria — but the Great Lakes (plural).
Why do we say 'in the morning' but 'at night'?
'In the morning', 'in the afternoon', and 'in the evening' all use 'the' with the preposition 'in'. But 'at night', 'at midnight', 'at noon', 'at dawn', 'at sunset', and 'at sunrise' use no article — these are fixed expressions treated as singular unique time points. The rule is not fully logical; it must be memorised as a set. A useful anchor: if the preposition is 'in' + a part of the day, use 'the'. If the preposition is 'at' + a time word, use no article.
What is the difference between 'go to school' and 'go to the school'?
Institutional nouns — school, hospital, prison, church, university, college, bed, work — drop the article when used for their primary purpose. 'Go to school' means going as a student to learn; 'go to the school' means visiting the physical building for any other reason (as a parent, a plumber, a visitor). The same logic applies across the set: 'in hospital' (as a patient) vs 'at the hospital' (visiting); 'go to prison' (as a prisoner) vs 'visit the prison' (as a tourist); 'go to bed' (to sleep) vs 'sit on the bed' (the furniture).
Why is there no article in 'by bus', 'by train', 'by car'?
The 'by + transport' pattern treats the vehicle as a method of travel, not a specific object, so no article is used: by bus, by train, by car, by plane, by taxi, by bike. The article returns when the preposition changes: 'on the bus' (on a specific bus), 'in the car' (inside a specific vehicle), 'in a taxi' (in one particular taxi). The key signal is the preposition 'by' — whenever 'by' means the mode of transport, never use an article.