Prepositions of Movement
A2 · ElementaryPrepositionsInto the room, across the street, along the river — movement prepositions show exactly how something travels from one place to another.
What you'll learn
- into / onto show movement ending inside or on top of something
- through shows movement passing inside and out the other side
- across / over show movement from one side to the other
- along and towards show the direction or path of movement without a fixed endpoint
Prepositions that show a path
While prepositions of place (in, on, at) describe a fixed location, prepositions of movement describe a path — the direction something travels. Each one paints a slightly different picture of how the movement happens.
into and onto — ending inside or on top
into shows movement that ends inside an enclosed space. onto shows movement that ends on top of a surface. Both are the 'movement' versions of in and on.
through, across, and over — from one side to the other
through describes movement passing inside something and out the other side (a tunnel, a crowd, a forest). across describes movement over a flat area or a gap, from one side to the other (a street, a field, a river). over can mean the same as across, or describe movement above something (a fence, a wall).
along and towards — direction without a fixed endpoint
along describes movement following the length of something, like a road or a river. towards describes movement in the direction of something, without necessarily arriving.
Real English
Watch out
in describes a fixed location; into describes the movement of entering — use into with a verb of motion.
across is for crossing from one side to the other over a flat area; through is for passing inside something and out the other side.
towards shows direction without necessarily arriving; to usually implies reaching the destination.
Real life — Giving directions
"How do I get to the museum from here?"
"Walk along this street, then go through the park."
"And after the park?"
"Cross the bridge, and it's right there — you can't miss it."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct preposition
She walked ___ the room and sat down.
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct preposition
The cat jumped ___ the table.
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct preposition
We drove ___ the tunnel.
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct preposition
They swam ___ the river.
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct preposition
He walked slowly ___ the beach.
Exercise 6 · Choose the correct preposition
The plane flew ___ the mountains.
Exercise 7 · Choose the correct preposition
We're driving ___ Berlin tomorrow.
Exercise 8 · Choose the correct sentence
Choose the correct sentence.
Exercise 9 · Complete the sentence
Fill in the correct preposition: She climbed ___ the fence.
Exercise 10 · Complete the sentence
Fill in the correct preposition: The dog ran ___ the park.
Exercise 11 · Sort the phrases into groups
0 / 8 sorted
Quick challenge
Five quick questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
She dived ___ the pool.
You learned
- into / onto show movement ending inside or on top of something.
- through shows movement passing inside and out the other side.
- across / over show movement from one side to the other.
- along and towards show a path or direction without a fixed endpoint.
Related grammar lessons
Dependent Prepositions
Understand what a 'dependent preposition' is — a fixed preposition that a particular verb, adjective, or noun always takes, with no logical rule to predict it.
Prepositions of Place
Learn when to use in, on, and at to talk about location in English — enclosed spaces, surfaces, and specific points each take their own preposition.
Prepositions of Time
Learn when to use in, on, and at to talk about time in English — clocks, days, and months each take their own preposition.
Verb + Preposition
Learn the fixed prepositions that go with common verbs like listen to, wait for, depend on, and apologize for — each verb has its own required partner.