Key prepositions of movement
Prepositions of movement describe the direction of an action. They follow movement verbs (walk, run, go, drive, fly, swim, etc.).
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| along | following the length of something | Walk along the river to the bridge. |
| across | from one side to the other | She ran across the road. |
| over | above and to the other side | The cat jumped over the fence. |
| under | below / beneath | The boat went under the bridge. |
| through | from one side to the other (enclosed) | We drove through the tunnel. · Walk through the forest. |
| past | going further than / by the side of | Go past the supermarket and turn left. |
| into | entering (movement from outside to inside) | She walked into the room. · Jump into the pool. |
| out of | leaving (movement from inside to outside) | He ran out of the building. · She got out of the car. |
| towards | in the direction of (not necessarily reaching) | He walked towards me. |
| away from | in the opposite direction | She ran away from the noise. |
| around | going in a circle / not through | We walked around the lake. |
| up / down | in a higher / lower direction | Climb up the stairs. · Walk down the hill. |
Transport: get in / get on / get out of / get off
For transport, we use different prepositions depending on the vehicle size:
| Vehicle | Getting in | Getting out |
|---|---|---|
| car, taxi, van (small, enclosed) | get in (the car) | get out of (the car) |
| bus, train, plane, bike, horse (large / open) | get on (the bus) | get off (the bus) |
Over vs across:
"Over" = above and to the other side (you might lift off the ground): jump over a fence. "Across" = from one side to the other at the same level: walk across the street, swim across the river.
Exercises
Choose the correct preposition of movement.
1. Be careful when you walk ___ the road — there's a lot of traffic.
2. She got ___ the taxi and paid the driver.
3. The train goes ___ a long tunnel before reaching the station.
4. Go ___ the bakery and then turn right — the library is there.
5. They walked ___ the whole city centre, stopping at every shop.