Prepositions of movement
To, into, out of, across, through, along, up, down, past: where someone or something is going.
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A preposition of place says where something is: in the room. A preposition of movement says where something goes: into the room. Most of them go after a verb of movement, like go, come, walk, run, drive, get or fly.
The main prepositions
Preposition | Movement | Example |
|---|---|---|
to | towards a place, and arriving there | We walked to the station. |
from | the place where the movement starts | She drove from Leeds. |
into | from outside to inside | He went into the shop. |
out of | from inside to outside | She ran out of the house. |
onto | to a surface | The cat jumped onto the table. |
off | from a surface | A cup fell off the shelf. |
up / down | to a higher or lower place | We climbed up the hill. |
past | next to something, and further | Walk past the bank. |
To and arrive
Use to after go, come, walk, drive, fly and so on. After arrive, use at for a building or a point and in for a town or a country, not to.
- I go to work by bus.
- Are you coming to the party?
- We arrived at the airport at six.
- They arrived in Rome on Monday.
- Incorrect: We arrived to London late at night.
- Correct: We arrived in London late at night.After arrive, use in for a city, not to.
- Incorrect: I went at the bank this morning.
- Correct: I went to the bank this morning.After go, the place takes to.
Home has no to: go home, come home, get home.
Into and out of
Into is movement from outside to inside. Out of is the opposite. We say get into and get out of a car or a taxi, but get on and get off a bus, a train or a plane.
- She walked into the kitchen.
- Take the milk out of the fridge.
- Get into the car. We're late.
- I got off the train at the wrong station.
- Incorrect: Get off the car, please.
- Correct: Get out of the car, please.For a car or a taxi, use get out of.
After verbs like put and jump, in and on are also used for movement: Put the milk in the fridge. In speech you may also hear come in the kitchen, but into is always correct.
Across, through and along
Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
across | from one side to the other: a road, a river, a square | Walk across the road. |
through | from one end to the other of a space, inside it | We drove through the tunnel. |
along | following a line: a road, a river, a beach | We walked along the beach. |
- The ferry goes across the river every hour.
- We went through the forest on a small path.
- There are shops all along this street.
- Incorrect: The train went across a long tunnel.
- Correct: The train went through a long tunnel.A tunnel is a space with walls, so we go through it.
Up, down, over, under, past
- Go up the stairs to the second floor.
- We walked down the hill to the village.
- The plane flew over the mountains.
- The boat went under the bridge.
- Go past the church and turn left.
Up and down the street can also simply mean "along" it: Go down this street for about two minutes.
Giving directions
Prepositions of movement are the heart of directions. Use the imperative.
- Go out of the station and turn right.
- Walk along Green Street and go past the post office.
- Go across the square and through the gate. The museum is in front of you.
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