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Thread: on a bike

  1. #1
    Ashiuhto is offline Senior Member
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    Default on a bike

    Which of the following sentences acceptable?

    1. On Cindy's way back home, two kids on a bike ran into her.
    2. On Cindy'w way home, two kids riding a bike together hit her.

  2. #2
    JMurray is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: on a bike

    Both of your examples suggest that the two kids were riding the same bike, like a tandem. Is this what you mean?

    Or do you mean that they were each riding their own bike?
    If so, then: "On Cindy's way back home, two kids riding bikes ran into her".

    not a teacher
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  3. #3
    Ashiuhto is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: on a bike

    Yes, what I mean is the two kids were riding the same bike.

  4. #4
    JMurray is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: on a bike

    Yes, what I mean is the two kids were riding the same bike.

    A bike that two people can ride together is called a "tandem bike/bicycle", or simply a "tandem".
    So: "On Cindy's way back home, two kids on/riding a tandem (bike) ran into her".

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  5. #5
    JMurray is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: on a bike

    It occurs to me, Ashiuto, that you might mean a bicycle that is made for only one person, but a second person is riding on the bar, handle bar or on the back. This has got various names in different parts of the world. In Australia it's often called "dink(s)", and "to dink".
    "Can I have a dink over to John's house later?".
    "Peter dinked his younger brother all the way home".
    In New Zealand when I was a kid we always called it "doubling" or "dub(s)".
    "My tyre's gone flat, can you give me a dub home?"

    So for your example, if you don't mean a tandem bike then you would normally use whatever the local term is for two people riding a single-person bike.

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  6. #6
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    Default Re: on a bike

    Quote Originally Posted by JMurray View Post
    In Australia it's often called "dink(s)", and "to dink".
    "Can I have a dink over to John's house later?".
    "Peter dinked his younger brother all the way home".
    In New Zealand when I was a kid we always called it "doubling" or "dub(s)".
    "My tyre's gone flat, can you give me a dub home?"
    Interesting.

    This speaker of BrE has never encountered these terms.
    bhaisahab and Rover_KE like this.
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    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


  7. #7
    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: on a bike

    Neither have I and I don't know what the terms would be in BrE.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: on a bike

    Quote Originally Posted by Tdol View Post
    Neither have I and I don't know what the terms would be in BrE.
    I've heard "Can you give me a bar?" meaning a ride on the crossbar. (This was many, many years ago.)
    5jj, Tdol, stanislaw.masny and 1 others like this.

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