Beginner · A1–A2

Prepositions of Movement

Prepositions of movement describe a direction or path — they answer the question "Where to?" or "Which way?". They are used with verbs of motion such as go, walk, run, drive, fly, swim.

What are prepositions of movement?

Unlike prepositions of place (which describe a static location), prepositions of movement describe a direction or a path taken. They almost always follow a verb of motion.

Place vs. movement

The cat is on the roof. (place — static)

The cat climbed onto the roof. (movement — direction)

She is in the garden. (place)

She walked into the garden. (movement)

Core prepositions of movement

totowards a destinationShe walked to the shop.

fromaway from an originHe came from the office.

intoentering an enclosed spaceShe walked into the room.

out ofleaving an enclosed spaceHe ran out of the building.

ontomoving to a surfaceThe cat jumped onto the table.

offleaving a surfaceShe fell off the bike.

throughfrom one side to the otherHe walked through the tunnel.

acrossfrom one side to the other (flat)She swam across the river.

alongfollowing the length ofWe walked along the beach.

upto a higher positionShe climbed up the ladder.

downto a lower positionHe ran down the stairs.

aroundin a circle or tourThey walked around the lake.

pastgoing beyond, not stoppingShe drove past the school.

towardsin the direction ofHe ran towards the exit.

away fromin the opposite directionShe moved away from the fire.

Full reference table

Preposition	Meaning	Example sentence
to	destination	We drove to the airport.
from	point of origin	She flew from New York.
into	entering an enclosed space	He walked into the café.
out of	exiting an enclosed space	She climbed out of the pool.
onto	moving to a surface	The bird landed onto the branch.
off	leaving a surface or vehicle	Get off the bus at the next stop.
through	passing from one side to the other (3D)	The train went through the mountain.
across	passing from one side to the other (2D/flat)	She walked across the road.
along	following the length of something	They cycled along the canal.
up	moving to a higher level	He jogged up the hill.
down	moving to a lower level	She slid down the slope.
around / round	moving in a circle or curve	The dog ran around the garden.
past	passing a point without stopping	We drove past the old house.
towards	in the direction of (not necessarily reaching)	She walked towards the sea.
away from	in the opposite direction from	He stepped away from the edge.
over	passing above something	The plane flew over the city.
under	passing below something	The boat went under the bridge.

Through vs. across

These two are frequently confused. The key difference is whether the path goes through a 3D space or across a flat surface.

through — you pass inside something (a tunnel, a forest, a crowd, a door): She walked through the forest. He pushed through the crowd.
across — you pass over a flat surface from one edge to the other (a road, a river, a room): She swam across the river. He walked across the room.

Into vs. in / onto vs. on

A common mistake is using in and on where movement is implied. Use into and onto when there is motion.

Static (place)	Movement (direction)
The keys are in the bag.	She put the keys into the bag.
The book is on the shelf.	He placed the book onto the shelf.
She is in the car.	She got into the car.
He is on the bus.	He got onto the bus.

To vs. towards: To implies reaching a destination: She walked to the shop (and arrived). Towards only indicates direction — you may or may not arrive: She walked towards the shop (she was heading that way but we don't know if she got there).

Tip: Most prepositions of movement are paired: into / out of, onto / off, up / down, towards / away from, from / to. Learning them in pairs makes them easier to remember and shows their opposite meanings clearly.