Explanation
Exercises

🏃‍♀️ Prepositions of Movement

Use these prepositions after verbs of movement (go, come, walk, run, drive, fly, cycle, etc.) to describe direction and route.

to / frominto / out ofonto / off alongacrossthroughover / under up / downpastaroundtowards / away from
🧭To / From · Into / Out of
TO / FROM
  • We walked to the station. · They drove from Boston to NYC.
INTO / OUT OF
  • She ran into the shop. (movement inside)
  • He got out of the taxi. (leaving an enclosed space)
Use into to emphasise entry; use to for direction without entering.
🛞Onto / Off · Get in/on
ONTO / OFF
  • The cat jumped onto the table; later it jumped off.
TRANSPORT
  • Get on / off a bus, train, plane, bike: “We got on the bus.”
  • Get in / out of a car/taxi/van: “She got out of the car.”
🛣️Along · Across · Through
ALONG
  • We walked quietly along the beach. (= following a line/path)
ACROSS
  • She swam across the river. (= from one side to the other on a surface/area)
THROUGH
  • They drove through the tunnel / through the forest. (= inside a space or among things)
🏔️Over / Under · Up / Down
OVER / UNDER
  • He jumped over the fence. · We went under the bridge.
UP / DOWN
  • They ran up the hill and down the stairs.
🔁Around · Past
AROUND
  • We walked around the lake. (= encircling / avoiding the centre)
PAST
  • The police drove past our building. (= beyond, without stopping)
➡️Towards / Away from
DIRECTION
  • She walked towards me. (= in my direction, not necessarily arriving)
  • He moved away from the fire. (= increasing distance)
🚗How we travel
BY / ON FOOT
  • I go to work by car. · We went to Zurich by plane. · I go to school on foot.
VERB OR “TAKE”
  • I drive to work. · She flew to Zurich. · We took a taxi/bus/train to the airport.
🧪Quick contrasts
  • We walked to the door vs walked into the room.
  • He ran across the road vs ran through the crowd.
  • They flew over the mountains vs drove through the mountains.
🚫Common mistakes
  • ✗ We got in the bus. → ✅ We got on the bus.
  • ✗ He went to inside the shop. → ✅ He went into the shop.
  • ✗ They walked through the street (open space). → ✅ They walked along the street / across the street.
Tip: After nouns we often show routes with from … to …: “the road from Leeds to York.”

Recap: choose the preposition that matches the path — along (line), across (surface), through (space/inside), over/under (vertical relation), past (beyond), around (encircle/avoid), towards/away from (direction), and remember transport patterns: get on/off (bus/train/plane/bike), get in/out of (car/taxi).

Exercises:
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2
3

Prepositions of movement: Along, across, over, etc.

Use the correct prepositions of movement to complete the setnences below.
1
The children ran the bridge to reach the park.
2
The plane flew the mountains during the storm.
3
We drove the tunnel and reached the lake.
4
She walked the river, stopping to take photos.
5
The cat jumped the sofa and then leapt when it saw the dog.
6
He dived the pool and swam the other side.
7
The cyclist rode the hill and then freewheeled the other side.
8
Walk straight the bank and turn left at the lights.
9
The kids ran the playground, chasing each other.
10
Please take your laptop your bag at security.

Prepositions of movement: Along, across, over, etc.

Complete the sentences below using the correct prepositions of movement.
1
When the cyclist rode ____ me, he didn’t even wave.
A.
B.
C.
2
We walked ____ the tunnel to reach the station.
A.
B.
C.
3
They strolled ____ the beach at sunset.
A.
B.
C.
4
The cat jumped ____ the fence into the yard.
A.
B.
C.
5
When the light turned green, the pedestrians went ____ the street.
A.
B.
C.
6
As soon as it started to rain, everyone ran ____ the building.
A.
B.
C.
7
Please take your feet ____ the table.
A.
B.
C.
8
Carefully lift the cake ____ the stand.
A.
B.
C.
9
The storm is moving ____ the coast, so boats are returning to harbor.
A.
B.
C.
10
The kids ran ____ the fountain, laughing and getting wet.
A.
B.
C.

Prepositions of movement: Along, across, over, etc.

Complete each sentence using the appropriate preposition in the box.
Preposition box: acrossalongaround overunderthrough intoout ofonto offupdown pasttowards / toward

EXAMPLE: They saw the dog and ran down the hill.

1
He waded from one bank of the river to the other. ⇒ He waded the river.
2
We walked following the beach for miles. ⇒ We walked the beach for miles.
3
The dog jumped from one side of the wall to the other. ⇒ The dog jumped the wall.
4
The train went in the tunnel and came out the other end. ⇒ The train went the tunnel.
5
The taxi was going in the direction of the airport. ⇒ The taxi was going the airport.
6
The students left the bus at the next stop. ⇒ They got the bus at the next stop.
7
The snowboarder came from the top to the bottom of the slope. ⇒ The snowboarder came the slope.
8
The bird flew from inside the cage to the outside. ⇒ The bird flew the cage.
9
The children moved from the shore to the water. ⇒ The children ran the water.
10
She climbed from the ladder to the roof. ⇒ She climbed the roof.