Prepositions of place, direction, movement

Walk through Victoria Tower Gardens, go across Lambeth Bridge and around the roundabout towards Lambeth Palace.

Prepositions of place indicate where something is and others tell us about movement from one place to another.

 

He's at work. [place]

He's going to work. green check mark, tick mark [movement] 

 

Some prepositions can perform both functions:

 

            The bank is across the road. [place]

            We walked across the road. [movement]

 

Here are some more examples:

 

 

Uses

Examples

 

onto

[also 'on to']

 

Resulting in being 'on'

 

They got onto the train. 

We loaded the goods onto the truck.

 

 

over

 

To go higher than

To cross something

 

We flew over the mountain.

We went over the river/the road/the bridge.

 

 

across

 

With a verb like 'go' to mean 'to cross'

 

We went across the river/the road/the bridge.

We walked across the square to get to the cathedral.

 

 

into

 

Resulting in being  'in'

 

 

Resulting in being in direct contact with something

 

 

They got into the car.

Put the files into that cabinet, please.

 

He wasn't concentrating and he walked into the door.

 

out of

 

 

Resulting in being 'out'

 

They got out of the car.

He threw it out of the window.

 

 

inside

 

Resulting in being in an enclosed space

 

Go inside the station and wait for me there; I won't be long.

 

 

outside

 

Resulting in being not 'in' but 'near' an enclosed space

 

He went outside the building to smoke.

 

 

through

 

Moving into one side and out of another

 

Moving around in or from one side to another

 

 

You need to go through this door and through two offices to get to the canteen.

 

We walked through the park/forest/market.

 

 

up

 

From a lower to a higher part of something

 

To go further

 

We walked up the hill and found a nice café.

 

 

We went up the street/road/river/beach.

 

 

down

 

From a lower to a higher part of something

 

To go further

 

The children ran down the hill/the stairs.

 

 

We went down the street/road/river/beach.

 

 

around

round [mostly UK]

 

To go to several places in an area

 

To go in an approximately circular direction

 

He travels around the world with his job.

 

 

Go round the next corner and you'll see the post office.

 

 

 

along

 

To move in a constant direction

 

We drove along the motorway for 40 miles.

I love walking along the beach at night.

 

 

past

 

To go further than something

 

 

You need to go past the bank and turn left.

 

 

from

 

Beginning a journey

 

 

 

We're coming from Heathrow.

I get home from work at 7.00.

 

 

to

 

 

Reaching a destination

 

 

 

Note that with the verb 'to arrive', we use 'at' or 'in':

 

 

They're getting a taxi to the airport and flying to Barcelona.

I go to bed at 11.00.

 

We arrived at the party/airport or in London/England etc.

 

 

towards [UK]

toward [US]

 

To go in the direction of [might not be destination]

 

Drive towards the town centre and turn left at the next traffic lights.

 

 

off  

 

To move down or away from

 

Get your feet off the table.

The dog fell off the bed.

 

 

via

 

To travel to on the way to somewhere else

 

They flew to Australia via India.

 

 

 

aboard

 

To board some vehicles

 

We climbed aboard the boat/plane/helicopter/London Eye.

 

 

against

 

In the opposite direction

 

Driving into London at night is easy because it's against the commuter traffic.

 

 


We often use 'in' and 'on' instead of 'into' and 'onto' to indicate movement. It can depend on the verb. For example, both can be used with 'get':

 

            We got on/onto the train.

            We got in/into the car.

 

With 'put', we are more likely to use 'in' and 'on':

 

            I put my keys in my bag/on the table.

 

With 'go', 'walk', 'step' or 'jump', we use 'into' or 'onto':

 

            He went into the boardroom 5 minutes ago.

She stepped onto the platform.

The cat jumped onto the table.

 

Sometimes, they are not interchangeable but have different meanings. For example:

 

            We cycle in the village. [We cycle when we are in the village.]

            We cycle into the village. [We cycle when we go to the village from another location.]

 


We use prepositions of place and movement when giving directions. Here are some examples:

 

Drive past the church and take the first turning on the left. Go along this road for two miles and stop at the traffic lights. Go over the bridge and through a tunnel. Turn right when you come to a big shopping centre. Go round the roundabout and take the 3rd exit. Drive towards the town centre and park near the cathedral. Walk across the square and you'll find the tourist office on the corner next to a patisserie. I'll meet you there.


Some prepositions of place and movement also function as adverbs.

 

For more information, see Adverbs of time and place and if in doubt, check in a good dictionary.

Also see Prepositions with expressions.