Transportation and getting around vocabulary and speaking exercises

Transportation and Getting Around Exercises and Worksheets

This page focuses on transportation-related communication skills for English as a second language (ESL) learners. Here, we explore important topics such as understanding diverse types of transportation, giving and receiving directions, and navigating the practical language associated with getting around in English-speaking environments.

The resources, tailored to maximize student engagement and learning, include:

Downloadable PDF Exercises: Printable exercises offering targeted practice on various collocations, phrasal verbs, and expressions, offering a deep-dive into the language used in the context of transportation and directions.
Listening and Video Exercises: Interactive multimedia resources featuring real-world scenarios, designed to promote active listening skills and better comprehension of transportation-related conversations.
Speaking Exercises Using Maps and Pictures: Interactive tasks using visuals of maps and people utilizing transportation, encouraging students to articulate directions and narrate situations in English.

Learning about transportation and the art of giving directions is pivotal for ESL students for several reasons:

Independence: It fosters independence, as students will be able to navigate English-speaking cities or countries on their own.
Practical Communication: These are practical communication skills that students will often use in real life. Being proficient in these can make travels and daily commuting in English-speaking locations more convenient.
Cultural Understanding: It provides insight into cultural nuances, enhancing the student’s overall understanding of English-speaking societies.
Vocabulary Expansion: It aids in expanding students’ vocabulary and understanding of idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs, crucial elements of fluent and natural English communication.

We hope these resources aid your ESL students in gaining confidence and proficiency in using English for transportation, direction-giving, and general navigation. Happy teaching!

1 Giving directions – walking

This is an elementary listening/speaking exercise for giving directions to someone who is walking to a destination. This exercise will help students navigate new environments and communicate effectively with native speakers.

(download PDF)

See the video on YouTube

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7 Giving directions (elementary with answers)

This exercise uses illustrations, each one corresponding to a phrase. The students’ task is to match these images to the related phrases, thereby reinforcing their understanding of vocabulary in an engaging and visual way. This worksheet encourages students to become familiar with key phrases used in everyday scenarios, making them comfortable and confident when communicating directions in English.

The phrases covered in this worksheet are:

Go this way
Cross the road
Take the lift (elevator)
Take the bus
Take an umbrella
Open the door
Enter the building
Turn right
Stop at the red light
Wait at the lights
Go upstairs
Go downstairs
Turn left
Go straight ahead (go along this road)

Designed to be both educational and enjoyable, this worksheet is an excellent tool for teachers to immerse their students in the practical applications of English, empowering them to navigate their way through an English-speaking environment with ease.

Giving directions (PDF)

2 Kinds of transportation (with answers)

The central activity here requires students to match pictures with the corresponding vocabulary terms, enhancing their recognition and understanding of thirteen different types of transportation. These include automobiles, cable cars, caravans, cruise ships, ferries, helicopters, light rails, limousines, camper vans, ultralights, speedboats, off-road vehicles, and hovercrafts.

Furthermore, the worksheet includes a conversational question-and-answer section at the end to facilitate practical language usage. Students are prompted to discuss their favorite transportation methods, experiences with specific types of transportation, and thoughts on topics like the future of automobiles and the experience of traveling in a caravan. These questions serve to further immerse students in the topic, enabling them to apply their newfound vocabulary in meaningful conversation.

This educational tool is well-suited for students at an intermediate language proficiency level, aiming to expand their English vocabulary related to transportation. It can be used as an individual activity or as part of a cooperative learning session, supporting learners in their journey to English fluency.

Kinds of transportation (PDF)

3 Elements of traveling (with answers)

This more elementary worksheet can be used to help students learn language for traveling around.

Elements of traveling (PDF)

Elements of traveling

4 Phrasal verbs for transport & getting around (with audio and answers)

This English language speaking worksheet can be used to help students learn basic language for transportation and traveling around.

Transport & getting around phrasal verbs (PDF)

Transport & getting around

5 Using transportation (with answers)

Using transportation vocabulary & speaking exercise for English language learners and others who need to get around the city and communicate in English.

Using transportation (PDF)

Using transportation

6 Getting around (with answers)

This is another elementary worksheet to help students learn language for giving directions and getting around a city.

Getting around (PDF)

Getting around

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8 Giving directions to a city location (with answers)

This is a writing exercise for students to demonstrate that they have the language skills to describe how to get to a location in the city.

Giving directions to a city location (PDF)

9 How many questions ….(with answers)

This is an English language exercise helping students to practice frequently asked travel and transport questions. Students try to write suitable questions for the various parts of a train and a plane ticket.

How many questions… (PDF)