Prepositions of place say where something is. Prepositions of movement say which way it goes. "The cat is in the box" describes a position. "The cat jumped into the box" describes the movement inside.
The most useful pairs are in and into, and out and out of. The simple word shows position, and the longer phrase shows movement. Through and across both mean crossing, but through goes inside something and across goes over a surface.
This page covers the common movement prepositions with clear examples. The 20-question drill at the end checks the direction word in each sentence and explains the choice.
The rule
To and towards: the destination
- To marks the destination: "We walked to the station."
- Towards suggests direction only, not arrival: "She walked towards the door."
- Do not use to before home: "I went home", not "I went to home".
- Arrive takes in or at, never to: "arrive in London", "arrive at the station".
Into and out of: entering and leaving
- Into means movement to the inside of something: "She walked into the room."
- Out of means movement from inside to outside: "He ran out of the building."
- In and out describe position; into and out of show the movement.
- In everyday speech, in is sometimes used for into, but into is clearer.
Through, across and along
- Through means inside something and out the other side: "We drove through the tunnel."
- Across means from one side to the other on a surface: "She swam across the river."
- Along means following a line: "We walked along the beach."
- Past means going by something without stopping: "We drove past the school."
Over, under and around
- Over means above and to the other side: "The bird flew over the house."
- Under means directly below: "The cat ran under the table."
- Around means in a circle or from place to place: "We walked around the lake."
- Onto means movement to a surface: "She climbed onto the roof."
Movement verbs and direction words
- Come and go take to for a destination: "go to work".
- Arrive takes in for cities and countries and at for other places.
- Enter takes no preposition at all: "enter the building".
- Enter into is only for agreements and discussions: "enter into a contract".
Examples
- We walked to the station.To marks the destination.
- She ran into the room.Into shows movement to the inside.
- He got out of the car.Out of shows movement from inside to outside.
- We drove through the tunnel.Through means inside and out the other side.
- They swam across the lake.Across means from one side to the other.
- We walked along the river.Along follows the line of the river.
- The plane flew over the city.Over means above and past.
- The cat hid under the bed.Under means directly below.
- She climbed onto the stage.Onto shows movement to a surface.
- We drove past your house.Past means going by without stopping.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: I went to home after work. Right: I went home after work.
- Home takes no preposition after a movement verb.
- Wrong: We arrived to the airport early. Right: We arrived at the airport early.
- Arrive takes at for a place such as an airport, and in for a city or country.
- Wrong: He entered into the room. Right: He entered the room.
- Enter takes no preposition; enter into is only for agreements and discussions.
- Wrong: She walked in the room and sat down. Right: She walked into the room and sat down.
- Movement to the inside needs into, because in describes position.
- Wrong: We walked across the forest. Right: We walked through the forest.
- Through is for movement inside something; across is for surfaces.
Practice drill
Answer all 20 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
We walked ___ the station and waited for the train.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. to To marks the destination of the movement.
She ran ___ the room and closed the door.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. into Into shows movement from outside to inside the room.
He got ___ the car and started the engine.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. into Into shows movement to the inside of the car.
We drove ___ the tunnel.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. through Through means inside something and out the other side.
They swam ___ the river to the other side.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. across Across means from one side to the other on a surface.
We walked ___ the beach at sunset.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. along Along follows the line of the beach.
The plane flew ___ the clouds.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. over Over means above something and past it.
The cat ran ___ the table and hid.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. under Under means directly below the table.
She climbed ___ the roof.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. onto Onto shows movement to a surface.
We drove ___ your house but did not stop.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. past Past means going by something without stopping.
I usually go ___ work by bus.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. to Go takes to before the destination work.
We arrived ___ the airport two hours early.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. at Arrive is a movement verb that takes at for a place such as an airport.
He ___ the building through the side door.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. entered Enter takes no preposition when it names a place.
The children ran ___ the garden to play.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. into Into shows movement from outside to inside the garden.
She took the keys ___ her bag.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. out of Out of shows movement from inside the bag to outside.
The road goes ___ the village and up the hill.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. through Through means inside the village and out the other side.
The bird flew ___ our heads.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. over Over means above something and past it.
They walked ___ the street to the bank.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. across Across means from one side of the street to the other.
The train went ___ the tunnel under the mountain.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. through Through means inside the tunnel and out the other side.
She walked ___ me without saying hello.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. past Past means going by someone without stopping.
Drill complete
You answered every question.
Next topic: Adjective + preposition: good at, interested in, afraid ofTake the level test
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between to and towards?
To means you reach the place: "We walked to the station" ends at the station. Towards means you move in that direction but may not arrive: "We walked towards the station" and then turned off. To is about the destination, towards is about the direction only.
When do I use into instead of in?
Use into when something moves from outside to inside: "She walked into the room." Use in when something is already inside: "She is in the room." The same pair works with out and out of: "He is out of the house" shows movement; "He is out" shows position.
Why is "arrive to" wrong?
Arrive is one of the few movement verbs that does not take to. Arrive in a city or a country: "arrive in Paris". Arrive at any other place: "arrive at the station". The same rule applies to home: "arrive home", with no preposition at all.
More grammar topics
Adjective + preposition: good at, interested in, afraid of
An adjective and its preposition form a fixed pair. Learn the pair, not the preposition alone: interested in, good at, afraid of, proud of and keen on.
Verb + preposition: depend on, listen to, wait for
A verb and its preposition form a fixed pair: depend on, listen to, wait for, agree with. Learn the pair with one example and use it as a single unit.
Have something done: the causative explained
Have something done puts the focus on the service and the result, not on who did the work: "I had my hair cut" means a professional cut it.
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