Prepositions of Movement

1.

Prepositions
of
Movement

2.

TO
I took them to the beach.
I'd like to go to the cinema.
when there is a specific destination in
mind (a place, an event, a person)
FROM
She comes from Japan.
I ran from home to the gym.
indicates the point where a movement
begins
INTO
I walked quickly into the
room.
Get into the car now!
direction towards a position in or inside
something
OUT OF
I saw them get out of taxi.
They ran out of the room.
indicates the enclosed space where a
movement begins (OPP into)

3.

ON
I was late and got on the first bus.
Put the money on the table.
something’s position in relation to a
surface; with public transport
OFF
The cat jumped off the table.
He fell off his bike and got hurt.
shows separation, removal, and
disconnection. Indicates moving
away from something, often down
UP
They went up the hill.
He ran up the stairs.
movement from a lower point to a
higher point of something; also
further along a street or a road
I rode my bike down the
mountain.
We went down the stairs.
movement from a higher point to a
lower point of something; also
towards the direction in which you
are facing
DOWN

4.

We walked quietly along the beach.
I ran along a narrow path.
movement from one point to the
other point of something in a line
THROUGH
They drove through the tunnel.
I ran through the trees.
movement into one side and out of
the other side of something
ACROSS
Jessica swam across the river.
I ran across the street.
movement from one side to the other
side of something
TOWARDS
He got up and walked towards me.
We ran towards the sea.
movement in the direction of
something
ALONG

5.

OVER
He jumped over the fence.
We flew over the mountains.
movement at a higher level than
something else
UNDER
It's bad luck to walk under a ladder.
We drove under the bridge.
movement directly below something
AROUND
I went around the corner and saw
it.
The moon goes around the earth.
movement passing something in a
curved route, not going through it
PAST
He walked past us without seeing
us.
The police drove past our building.
indicates a movement to the further
side of something (and further)

6.

We use prepositions after verbs to describe the direction of movement.
We commonly use them after verbs that describe movement:
walk through
run across
come from
go to
drive through
cycle past
fly over
Although it is also possible to use them after other types of verbs
We talked over the fence.
I looked into the room.
or after nouns:
the path to the beach
the road from Leeds
the way up the hill