🏃♀️ 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 English class. · She travelled from the village to the city.
INTO / OUT OF
- He went into the library to borrow a book. (movement inside)
- She came out of the classroom after the lesson. (leaving an enclosed space)
Use into to emphasise entry; use to for direction without entering.
🛞Onto / Off · Get in/on
ONTO / OFF
- The phone fell onto the floor, so I picked it off the floor.
TRANSPORT
- Get on / off a bus, train, plane, bike: “We got on the bus at 8.”
- Get in / out of a car/taxi/van: “He got out of the taxi near the hotel.”
🛣️Along · Across · Through
ALONG
- We walked along the street and looked for the café. (= following a line/path)
ACROSS
- Be careful when you go across the road. (= from one side to the other)
THROUGH
- We went through the park on the way home. (= inside a space)
🏔️Over / Under · Up / Down
OVER / UNDER
- The ball went over the fence. · We walked under the bridge.
UP / DOWN
- She ran up the stairs and walked down again.
🔁Around · Past
AROUND
- We walked around the old town and took photos.
PAST
- I walked past the supermarket, so I had to go back.
➡️Towards / Away from
DIRECTION
- She walked towards the door, but she didn’t go inside.
- He moved away from the noisy street to a quiet café.
🚗How we travel
BY / ON FOOT
- I go to my English lesson by bus. · We went to the beach by car. · I go to the store on foot.
VERB OR “TAKE”
- I drive to work. · She flew to London. · We took a taxi to the airport.
🧪Quick contrasts
- We walked to the classroom vs walked into the classroom.
- He ran across the street vs pushed through the crowd.
- We drove around the city centre vs drove through the city centre.
🚫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 bus from the airport to the centre.”
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:
Prepositions of Movement
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
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
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.