“You need to take the express train.”
Your mother is visiting you from out of town. She wants to go to a museum while you're at work one day. You have to explain how to get there by train, so you start by saying this.
You need to take the express train.
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take a train
You can "ride" a train, or you can "take" a train. What's the difference?
You use "ride" when you want to talk about the experience of riding, or when you want to describe something that happened while you were riding the train:
I love riding the train in the middle of the day when it's not crowded.
I was riding the train, and this guy next to me started telling me a story about how he had just gotten out of prison.
As I was riding the train home, I realized that I'd left my keys in the closet at work.
You use "take" when you want to talk about how you get somewhere:
Just take the #3 train to 72nd Street and I'll meet you there.
Do you think it'll be faster to take the train or try to catch a bus?
the express train
An "express" train is supposed to go faster than a local train because it doesn't stop as often. The express train stops at more major stops.
"Express" means "fast" in a few other phrases:
- "Express mail" is sent faster than regular mail and is more expensive.
- The "expressway" is a road that you can drive fast on because there are no stop signs or lights on it. It also has more than one lane.