take bus

[EdisonBhola]

Hi all,

Is it correct to say "take bus" to mean "by bus"?

e.g. We usually take bus together.
e.g. We took bus to work yesterday.

Many thanks!

 

[elroy]

No.

 

[dojibear]

This means "go by bus":

We usually take the bus together.
We took the bus to work yesterday.

 

[EdisonBhola]

This means "go by bus":

We usually take the bus together.
We took the bus to work yesterday.

Can I say "take a bus"? Does "the" imply the same bus every time?

 

[dojibear]

Does "the" imply the same bus every time?

No. "Take the bus" means "use buses to go there". It could be a different bus each day.

Can I say "take a bus"?

Yes, in many sentences.

 

[EdisonBhola]

No. "Take the bus" means "use buses to go there". It could be a different bus each day.


Yes, in many sentences.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my question. I appreciate it a lot.

What I really want to know is whether there's any difference in meaning at all between "the" and "a" in this context.

If I tell you, "My sister and I usually take a/the bus together to work."

Would you see a difference in meaning between the "a" and the "the"?

Many thanks!

 

[dojibear]

In this sentence, both "a" and "the" work, and they have the same meaning.

 

[EdisonBhola]

In this sentence, both "a" and "the" work, and they have the same meaning.

Is my interpretation correct? "A bus" in this sentence means any non-specific bus; "the bus" means the type of vehicle known as buses? And that's why both are correct.

 

[dojibear]

That makes sense.