TRANSPORT:

Traffic Jams - What do you do when in a traffic

jam?
Some people shout and honk their horns, others just relax and listen to music.

These are the most popular activities that you students said they do when in a traffic
jam.

1. Means of transportation
word/phra part meanin common example pronunciatio
se of g collocations n
speec
h

tram noun an catch/go In my /træm /

electric on/take the opinion,
vehicle tram, get the tram
similar on/off the system
to a tram, miss the is not as
bus but tram, tram efficient
goes service/system as other
along , tram stop, means
metal (travel) by of public
tracks tram transpor
on the t.
road

coach* noun a bus private/air-con I’d like /koʊtʃ/

used to ditioned/luxury to tour
take coach, the
groups go/travel by country
of coach, coach by
people journey/trip/tou coach.
on long r
journey
s
 yacht noun a boat luxury/private We / jɑt/
used yacht, cruise spent
for on/sail a yacht, our
travelli yacht holiday
ng club/marina, on a
around on/on board a private
for yacht yacht in
pleasur the
e or Caribbe
racing an.

* In the topic of transportation, coach can also be used to talk about the cheapest type
of seats on a plane or train.

1. Roads & traffic

word/phra part meanin common example pronunciatio

se of g collocations n
speec
h

overpass noun a freeway/high Traffic in /ˈoʊ·vərˌpæ

bridge way overpass the area s/
that significan
carries tly
one improved
road thanks to
over the new
anothe overpass
r road .
service noun a small on a/the In my / ˈsɝː.vɪs
road road service road city, truck ˌroʊd/
next to traffic is
a not
busier, allowed
faster on
road, service
that roads.
you
use to
drive to
homes
and
shops

traffic jam noun a large long/severe I was / ˈtræf·ɪk

numbe traffic jam, stuck in a ˌdʒæm/
r of be/get traffic
vehicle caught/stuck jam on
s on a in a traffic my way
road jam, traffic here.
moving jam on the
very (road)
slowly
or not
at all

1.
Transportation & the environment

word/phras part meanin common example pronuncia

e of g collocations tion
spee
ch
emissions noun the vehicle In my /iˈmɪʃ.ən/
amount emissions, opinion,
of gas, greenhouse governmen
heat, gas/carbon ts are not
light dioxide doing
that is emissions, enough to
sent out cut/reduce/c reduce
ontrol greenhous
emissions, e gas
emissions emissions
from (traffic) from traffic.

noise noun noise, to Noise / ˈnɔɪz

pollution such as tackle/ease/r pollution pəˌluː.ʃən/
that educe noise from trains
from pollution, passing
traffic, noise through
that is pollution residential
conside from (type of areas is a
red transport) major
unhealt concern in
hy for my country.
people

environme adjec not environment Electric /ɪn.vaɪr.ən

ntally-frien tive harmful ally- friendly cars are a ˌmen.t̬ əl.i
dly to the vehicles/ more ˈfrend.li/
environ transportatio environme
ment n/ fuel/ ntally-frien
alternative dly
alternative.

1.
Travel
word/phras part of meanin common exampl pronunciatio
e speech g collocation e n
s

abroad adjectiv in a travel/go It’s / əˈbrɔd/

e foreign abroad, to much
country be abroad, easier
to move to travel
abroad abroad
now
than in
the
past.

business noun a take/make I went /ˈbɪz·nəs

trip journey a business to New trɪp/
taken trip, on a York on
for business a
busines trip busines
s s trip.
purpose
s

commute verb to travel daily/every I / kəˈmjut/

regularl day commut
y commute, e to the
(or betwee to city by
noun) n work commute bus
and from/to every
home (place) day.
 1.
The future of transportation

word/phr part meanin common example pronunciati

ase of g collocations on
spee
ch

space noun travel human/commerci There’s / spās

travel throug al space travel, a lot of ˈtravəl/
h outer the future of interest
space space travel, in space
achieve space travel
travel, to space these
travel days.

autonom noun a car be driven by an I don’t /ɑːˈtɑː.nə.

ous capabl autonomous believe məs
vehicle e of vehicle autonom ˈvi·ɪ·kəl/
(also driving ous
known as itself vehicles
driverless can keep
car or us safe.
self-drivin
g car)
high-spe noun a by high-speed In the
ed rail high-sp rail, high-speed future,
eed rail high-spe
passen network/route/ser ed rail
ger vice, high-speed networks
train rail will take
accident/crash/di over
saster tradition
al rail
systems.

idiom meaning example

bumper to with very little space The traffic’s usually bumper to

bumper between two cars in a line bumper all the way to work.
of cars

backseat a passenger in a car who My wife’s very much a backseat

driver gives unwanted advice to driver - she always tells me to
the driver speed up or slow down.
 hit the road to begin a trip I like to hit the road early when
going on long journeys.

hitch a to get a free ride in After the festival, we hitched a lift

lift/ride someone else’s vehicle back to the city.

beat the to leave early to avoid I always try to leave early in the
traffic traveling when the roads morning so I can beat the traffic
are crowded on my way to school.

Getting Around your Hometown

Here are some nice phrases you can use to answer this question

● I tend to move around by bus, it’s really cheap and convenient.

● I typically walk everywhere. I live in a small city so it’s easy to get
around on foot.
● I don’t like driving because there are too many cars.
● It’s congested = too many cars = a lot of traffic jams
● There many cars in the rush hour (= peak time people go to work)
● Cars are bumper to bumper (=close together and so cannot move)
● Infrastructure (n. / uncountable) = roads, buildings, bridges
● It’s a nightmare = a terrible thing
● Pedestrian area (a pedestrian is a person who walks)
● Walking is so easy and a pleasure because we have so many
pedestrian areas.
Delays When Travelling
● I get (on) the train to Wales = take / travel by train
● The hassle of driving = the stress and trouble
● I was held up in traffic and missed the flight
● I missed the plane = I was late and didn’t catch it
● It was a disaster = a terrible thing
● I got my money back in the end

The following both mean arrive well before the necessary time

● Arrive in plenty of time

● Arrive with time to spare

Transport in the future

Here are some phrases you can use to discuss this subtopic

● I suppose electric cars will be more popular

● I suspect cars running on gas will be a thing of the past
● Electric vehicles = without gas or petrol
● With climate change getting worse, more and more transportation
will run on electricity
● Everything is going in that direction
● Driverless cars = cars without a driver
● Hire a car = rent a car
● Licenses will become redundant – we don’t need them anymore
● Manual cars = cars driven with a gear stick (opposite is automatic
car)
● A pain in the ass = a big problem
● When it becomes mainstream – popular in everyday usage
● I might start using a driverless car, when they become mainstream
● It would make all the difference = it would have a big impact

Idioms to talk about Transportation

My wife is a backseat driver = someone who doesn’t drive, but tells the drive
how to drive!
At last, I am in the driver’s seat = to be in control

I got to the train station in the nick of time = just in time

We made it to the airport on time by the skin of our teeth = just managed to do
it (often meeting a deadline)

It’s already 6 o’clock and time we hit the road = to leave / start a journey

I have itchy feet = I love travelling / I want to travel

I have to get up at the crack of dawn = very early