Ship, boat, airplane, etc.

Posted by AA on April 03, 2003

In Reply to: Ship, boat, airplane, etc. posted by TheFallen on April 02, 2003

: : What is the correct preposition for the following:
: : bus, train, subway, boat, ship, airplane, etc.? Thanks.

: It largely depends on the verb used. If you use "take", then no preposition is necessary at all - e.g. "I took the plane/train/bus/boat to the city".

: If you're determined to use the verb "to go" (or one of its synonyms, like "to travel"), then using "by" as your preposition will be correct in all cases - e.g. "I went to the city by plane/train/bus/boat." - and "by" is probably the most typical English usage.

: "To get on" is another English construct that could be applied to all those modes of transport, but it simply means to set foot into.

: Finally, if you're using the verb "to be", then "on" is the preposition to use in all cases - "I was on a plane/train/bus/boat when I heard the news."

: I hope this helps.

That is very clear. Thanks very much.