Prepositions of movement tell us where someone or something is going. They answer the question "Which way?" Think of a little picture for each one: into is a door, through is a tunnel, across is a street.
The pattern
She walked into the office.
I got off the bus at Pine Street.
01To, into and out of
Use to for the place you are going: go to work, drive to Dallas. Use into when you move from outside to inside, and out of for the opposite.
In everyday American speech, people often say in instead of into after verbs like get, put and jump: "Get in the car." Both are correct. But don't use to before home, downtown, upstairs or here: go home, not go to home.
- I drive to work every day.
- He walked into the kitchen.
- Take the milk out of the fridge.
- Let's go home.
02Onto and off
Use onto when something moves to a surface, and off when it leaves a surface.
- The cat jumped onto the counter.
- Get your feet off the couch!
- She stepped onto the stage.
03Which way? Through, across, along and more
These words each have a clear picture. Through is for spaces with sides or walls around you, like a tunnel, a forest or a door. Across is for flat things you go from one side of to the other, like a street, a river or a parking lot.
| Word | Picture it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| through | in one side, out the other | We drove through a tunnel. |
| across | from one side to the other | She swam across the lake. |
| along | following a line | We jogged along the river. |
| past | going by something | You'll walk past a bank. |
| around | in a circle or around a corner | We walked around the lake. |
| over | above something, to the other side | The dog jumped over the fence. |
| under | below something | The boat went under the bridge. |
| up / down | to a higher / lower place | He ran up the stairs. |
04Cars, buses and trains
For a car or a taxi, where you sit down and can't stand up, say get in and get out of. For a bus, train, plane, the subway or a bike, say get on and get off.
- Get in the car, we're late!
- She got out of the taxi.
- We got on the train in Boston.
- Get off the subway at 42nd Street.
05Common mistakes
I went to home after work.
I went home after work.
Home, downtown and upstairs don't take to.
We got in the bus downtown.
We got on the bus downtown.
Buses, trains and planes take get on and get off.
She got out the taxi.
She got out of the taxi.
Leaving a car or taxi is get out of, with of.
We walked across the forest.
We walked through the forest.
A forest is all around you, so use through.