A2 Grammar WPWord Play
Home›A2›Grammar›Prepositions of Movement
Ch 18

Prepositions of Movement

into · across · through · towards · around

Prepositions of movement

Prepositions of movement describe the direction of an action, not a static position.

into
movement from outside to inside: She walked into the room.
out of
movement from inside to outside: He came out of the building.
onto
movement onto a surface: She climbed onto the roof.
off
movement away from a surface: He jumped off the wall.

across, through, along, past

across
from one side to the other: We walked across the bridge.
through
from one end to the other (enclosed): She drove through the tunnel.
along
following a line: We walked along the river.
past
going beside and beyond: Turn right just past the bank.
They swam across the lake.
We drove through the mountains.
Walk along the beach.

up, down, towards, away from, around

up
moving higher: She ran up the stairs.
down
moving lower: He walked down the hill.
towards
in the direction of: She walked towards the door.
away from
moving further from: He ran away from the dog.
around
in a circle or on all sides: We walked around the lake.

Movement vs position

The same preposition can describe movement OR position

Position (static)
The cat is in the box.
where it IS
He is on the bus.
where he IS
Movement (dynamic)
The cat jumped into the box.
direction of movement
She got onto the bus.
boarding the bus

Common mistakes

She went in the room.
→
She went into the room.
movement inside → into
He got in the bus.
→
He got on the bus.
board transport → get on
We drove through the bridge.
→
We drove across the bridge.
across = surface/span · through = enclosed space
She walked to the tunnel.
→
She walked through the tunnel.
through = entering and exiting

Recap

In/out
into · out of
walked into, came out of
Surface
onto · off
climbed onto, jumped off
Path
across · through · along · past
across the bridge, through the tunnel
Direction
towards · away from · up · down · around
towards me, away from it
Practice now →