Meaning & use
branch line trains
Last updated
Meaning
nounplural
Trains that operate on a secondary railway route connected to a main line.
Grammar: Plural noun phrase; use a plural verb. For one train, say a branch line train.
Patterns
- branch line trains run
- catch a branch line train
Branch line trains are often slower and stop at every small station.
We took branch line trains all the way to the coast.
The timetable shows that branch line trains run every two hours.
Word forms
| singular | branch line train |
|---|
Common combinations
- branch line trains run
- Branch line trains run less often on Sundays.
- catch a branch line train
- You can catch a branch line train from platform 3.
- branch line train service
- The branch line train service was suspended after the storm.
- small branch line trains
- Small branch line trains carry fewer passengers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- local trains
- Local trains stop at many stations, but they may run on main lines too; branch line trains specifically run on a branch.
- feeder trains
- Feeder trains bring passengers to a main route; branch line trains are simply the trains on the branch.
Opposites
Word family
- branch line noun
- The secondary railway route itself.
- train noun
- A line of connected railway vehicles that carry passengers or goods.
Commonly confused: branch line trains or branch line?
branch line trains vs branch line
Branch line is the route; branch line trains are the trains that use it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'branch line trains' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Branch line trains is plural, so it takes a plural verb like are. Options An and D use a singular article with a plural noun, and option B uses a singular verb with a plural subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “branch line trains”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.