Pros and cons of different types of transportation in the neighbourhood and city

Konu Anlatımı

Ways of Travelling in a Neighbourhood and a City

The main transportation options are the bus, the minibus, the tram, the underground (in British English the subway or the metro), the train, the bicycle, walking, the car, the taxi, the ferry and the plane. Public vehicles usually travel on a fixed route and stop at fixed stops. You get on a vehicle and get off it. Note that on foot and by foot are both used with walking, but a bicycle, a bus or a taxi always take by without an article: I go to school by bike.

Comparative and Superlative

To compare two options we use the comparative form with than. Short adjectives add -er and longer ones use more.

• A tram is cheaper than a taxi. (short adjective + -er)
• A tram is more comfortable than a crowded bus. (longer adjective + more)
• A car is more polluting than a bicycle. (adjective ending in -ing + more)

When we compare more than two things we use the superlative with the: the cheapest, the most crowded, the fastest. The word the is necessary before a superlative: The bus is the most crowded vehicle here.

as... as and not as... as

To say that two things are equal we use as + adjective + as: The underground is as expensive as the taxi. To say that something is below a level we use not as... as: Cycling is not as expensive as driving. Do not use than in this pattern, and do not change the adjective into its comparative form.

Past Habits and Future Changes

used to + V1 describes a habit or a situation that existed in the past and has finished. I used to drive to work, but now I take the tram. Notice that after used to we always use the first form of the verb: not used to drove and not used to driving. For the future we use will + V1: People will use more electric buses in the future. To report the end of a past habit the present simple is enough: I don't drive to work now.

Pros and Cons: Useful Expressions

• Advantages: It is cheaper than..., it is faster than..., it is more comfortable, it is safer, it is better for the environment, it is good for your health, it does not cause pollution.
• Disadvantages: It is more expensive, it is slower, it is more crowded, it is less reliable, it is more polluting, it depends on the weather, it is not comfortable in the rain.

Comparing the Main Options

Worked Example: Planning a Journey

Deniz: How do you get to the city centre in the mornings?
Melis: I used to take the minibus, but it was very slow in traffic. Now I take the tram. It is cheaper than a taxi and it is not as crowded as the bus.
Deniz: But the tram is more expensive than the bus, isn't it?
Melis: Yes, it is, and it does not go to every neighbourhood. However, it is faster, and it is better for the environment. In the future I think people will use more trams and fewer cars.

In this dialogue we see used to for the old habit, the comparative with than, the equal comparison not as crowded as, the contracted question tag isn't it? and will for a future prediction.

Özet

Bu konuda otobüs, minibüs, tramvay, metro, tren, bisiklet, yürüme, otomobil, taksi, vapur ve uçak gibi ulaşım araçlarını avantaj ve dezavantajlarıyla inceledik. İki aracı karşılaştırırken comparative (cheaper than), üç ve daha fazla aracı karşılaştırırken superlative (the cheapest) kullanılır. Eşitlik için as... as, alt seviye için not as... as yapısı kullanılır; bu kalıpta than kullanılmaz. Geçmiş alışkanlıklar used to + V1, gelecek öngörüleri will + V1 ile anlatılır. Ulaşımda by geniş zaman kullanılmadan aracın adıyla kullanılır, yürüme için ise on foot denir.

Sık Yapılan Hatalar

• 'than' yerine 'as' karıştırmak: eşitlik karşılaştırmasında as... as, farklılık karşılaştırmasında than kullanılır.
• Superlative'dan 'the' düşürmek: en üst derece karşılaştırmasında the cheapest biçimi zorunludur.
• 'used to' yanlış fiil kullanmak: used to drove ve used to driving yerine used to drive denir.
• 'by foot' yerine 'by a foot' demek: bisiklet, otobüs ve taksi için by bike, by bus, by taxi biçimi kullanılır.
• Değerlendirme yaparken kesinlik kullanmak: bütün şehirler için 'the best' demek yerine It is good for the environment gibi ölçülebilir ifadeler tercih edilir.

Ne Öğreneceğiz

In this lesson you will learn to compare ways of travelling in a city. You will study the transport vocabulary — bus, minibus, tram, underground, subway, metro, train, ferry, taxi, car, bicycle, walking, scooter — and the words that describe a network: route, stop, station, timetable, fare, traffic jam.

You will learn the language of advantages and disadvantages: cheaper, faster, more comfortable, safer, more reliable on the one hand, and more expensive, slower, more crowded, less reliable, more polluting on the other. You will also learn the useful phrases better for the environment, good for your health, it costs nothing, it does not cause pollution.

Finally you will use comparatives with than, superlatives with the, equality with as... as and lower level with not as... as, plus used to for old habits and will for future predictions.

Ön Bilgi

You need three things ready.

First, comparatives and superlatives with the correct form: -er for short adjectives, more for long ones, the most for the top of a group.

Second, the pattern as + adjective + as. In this pattern than is impossible, and the adjective never changes into a comparative: say as crowded as, not as more crowded as.

Third, used to + base form and will + base form, because the topic asks you to describe a habit that changed and to predict what will happen in the city.

Basit Örnek ve Günlük Yaşam

Read this comparison of two ways of getting to school.

I used to take the minibus, but it was very slow in traffic. Now I take the tram. It is cheaper than a taxi and it is not as crowded as the bus. My friend goes on foot because his house is near the school, and he says walking is the healthiest option for him.

Used to take describes the old habit, cheaper than a taxi is a comparative, and not as crowded as the bus places the tram below the bus. The final superlative, the healthiest option for him, keeps the claim personal rather than absolute.

Now write five sentences comparing two ways you travel, using the same four structures.

İleri Örnek

Compare a list of advantages with a balanced argument.

List: The tram is cheap. It is fast. It is clean. The bus is crowded.

Balanced: Although the tram is faster than the bus, it is more expensive and it does not reach every neighbourhood. However, it is better for the environment than a private car, and in my opinion more people will use it in the future as fares stay low.

The balanced version admits a disadvantage first, then adds an advantage, and closes with a measured prediction. In the exam, a text that lists only advantages looks like an advertisement rather than an argument, so it loses marks.

Adım Adım Çözülmüş Örnek

Follow these steps to compare transport options.

1. Step 1 — Choose two options. the tram and the bus.
2. Step 2 — Name one advantage and one disadvantage for each. The tram is faster but more expensive; the bus is cheaper but more crowded.
3. Step 3 — Build the comparison with than. The tram is faster than the bus. For a long adjective use more: more comfortable.
4. Step 4 — Express equality or a lower level with as... as. The tram is as fast as the underground. · Cycling is not as expensive as driving.
5. Step 5 — Say what you used to do and what you will do. I used to drive, but now I cycle. · I think more people will use electric buses in the future.
6. Step 6 — Add a measured conclusion. It is better for the environment, and that matters in a crowded city.

Karşılaştırma Tablosu

This table gives the standard advantages and disadvantages of the main options.

Careful: by takes no article (by bus, by bike), but on foot is the fixed phrase for walking.

Kendini Dene

Answer in full sentences and then check the key.

1. Complete: The tram is ____ (fast) than the bus.
2. Which sentence is correct? (a) Cycling is as cheap than driving. (b) Cycling is as cheap as driving. (c) Cycling is as cheaper as driving.
3. Rewrite correctly: The metro is cheapest option in the city.
4. Fill in: I used ____ (drive) to work, but now I cycle. (drive / to drive / driving)
5. Rewrite with a future prediction: More people now use electric buses.
6. Write a six-sentence comparison of two transport options. Use one comparative with than, one not as... as, one used to and one will sentence.

Answer key: 1) faster — a short adjective takes -er. 2) (b) — as... as takes the base form of the adjective. 3) The metro is the cheapest option in the city. — superlatives need the. 4) to drive — used to takes the base form. 5) I think more people will use electric buses in the future. 6) Any correct text, e.g. The bus is cheaper than the tram, but it is not as fast. I used to travel by car every day. The tram is more comfortable than the bus, and it is less polluting. In my opinion more people will use the tram in ten years. However, the tram does not go to every neighbourhood.