“People say that Detroit is long past its prime, but some still hold out hope that the city will revive itself.”

You're writing an essay for school about the city of Detroit. The city used to be rich and full of people, but now it's poor. You're writing about people who are trying to improve the city. You write:

People say that Detroit is long past its prime, but some still hold out hope that the city will revive itself.

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“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:

You need to take the express train.

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.

“I'm looking for a studio in the range of about $1200 a month, preferably downtown.”

You're trying to find an apartment in a new city that you're going to move to. You want to use a real estate agent to help you find it. You find the e-mail address of a real estate agent on the Internet and begin writing an e-mail to her. You write:

I'm looking for a studio under $1200 a month, preferably downtown.

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“Really? They plowed my street the next morning.”

It snowed a couple of days ago. You're talking with one of the other mothers at your child's daycare about the snow. She says that there's still a lot of snow on her street. The snow has been gone since yesterday where you live, so you say:

 Really? They plowed my street the next morning.

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“Try not to draw attention to yourself.”

You're from a small town. You're visiting a big city in a foreign country with your fiance, and you're a little intimidated. You're worried about getting robbed or scammed, so you want to try to act like someone who lives in that city. You tell your fiance:

Try not to draw attention to yourself.

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“I'm driving through a rough part of town.”

You're in your car driving and talking to your friend on the telephone. She comments that she hears a siren in the background. You explain that you're driving through an area with a lot of crime:

I'm driving through a rough part of town.

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“There's so much to do there.”

You used to live in New York. Someone you just met is asking you about living there. You say:

There's so much to do there.

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“It's a lot of fun.”

You're talking to someone who you just met, and you told her that you used to live in New York. She asks what it's like living there. You liked it there, so you say:

It's a lot of fun.

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“Have you spotted any celebrities?”

Your friend recently moved to a large city. You are talking to her about her experience living in a larger city. You want to ask her if she's seen any famous people. You ask:

Have you spotted any celebrities?

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