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Prepositions of movement: into, out of, across, through…

A2 · 40 exercises

The rule in short

How to say where someone or something goes with to, into, out of, onto, off, across, through, along, over, past and towards, how to get in, out of, on and off vehicles, and when English needs no preposition at all.

The pattern is verb of movement + preposition + place. The preposition stays the same for every subject and every tense.

Preposition	Meaning	Example
to	to an end point	We drove to the coast.
from … to	from a start point to an end point	Tom walked from the bus stop to the office.
into / out of	from outside to inside / from inside to outside	Anna ran into the house. A mouse ran out of the hole.
onto / off	to a position on a surface / away from a surface	The cat jumped onto the chair. A book fell off the shelf.
up / down	to a higher / lower place	We walked up the hill and ran down it.
across	from one side to the other of a flat place or a line	We ran across the square.
through	from one side to the other of something around you	The train went through a dark tunnel.
along	following a line, such as a road, a river or a beach	We walked along the coast.
over / under	above something, or climbing to its other side / below it	The dog jumped over the fence. The boat went under the bridge.
past	by something, without stopping	I drive past the hospital every day.
towards	in the direction of something	A man was walking towards me.
round / around	in a circle, or to the other side of a corner (round the corner)	We walked round the lake.

Towards is the usual British form and toward the usual American one. Round is British too; around is used everywhere. Both forms of each pair are correct.

In or into, on or onto? After go, come, walk and run, use into for the moment you enter: Tom walked into the room. Tom walked in the room can sound as if he was already inside, walking around. With verbs like put, jump, throw and get, everyday English also uses in and on for movement: Put the milk in the fridge, The cat jumped on the table. Both forms are correct there. With no noun after it, use in: Come in, Get in.

Across, through or over? Across goes over a flat surface or a line: a road, a river, a square, a field. Through goes inside something with sides, a top or many things around you: a tunnel, a forest, a door, a crowd. Over goes above something, or up and down to its other side: a wall, a fence, a hill. For a bridge, over and across mean the same: We walked over the bridge or across the bridge.

Getting in and out. For a car or a taxi, you get in (or into) and get out of. For a bus, a train, a plane, a ship or a bike, you get on and get off. This follows the same split as in a car but on a bus (see city and transport). Get on and get off are also phrasal verbs. They can stand without a noun when the vehicle is clear: This is our stop. Let's get off.

No preposition at all. Some words already contain the direction, so they take no to: go home, come home, get home, go there, go upstairs, go downstairs. Two verbs need special care. Arrive takes at for a building, a point or an event (arrive at the hotel, arrive at the party) and in for a city or a country (arrive in Spain), never to. Enter takes its object directly: enter the room, not enter into the room. More verbs like these are in prepositions that differ.

Examples

Anna walked into the kitchen and switched on the light.
Tom got out of the taxi and paid the driver.
We got off the train in the centre and walked to the hotel.
A dog ran across the road in front of our bus.
The road goes through a small village before it reaches the sea.
Anna likes to walk along the river after work.
A bird flew over our heads and sat on the wall.
Tom climbed up the ladder and onto the roof.
The number 9 bus goes past our house every ten minutes.
We cycled from the station to the beach in twenty minutes.

Lesson: “Prepositions of movement: into, out of, across, through…” (A2), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/prepositions-of-movement · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

KrumetoPrepositions of movement: into, out of, across, through…Name ____________________

Exercises

A. Choose the right preposition.

Tom ran ___ the garden. → into

It was very cold outside, so we went back ________ the house. (into / out of / off)
Tom took his phone ________ his pocket and called Anna. (out of / into / off)
The cup fell ________ the table and broke on the floor. (off / onto / into)
I was reading on the sofa when the dog jumped ________ it and lay down next to me. (onto / off / out of)
The lift was broken, so Anna walked ________ the stairs from the street to the fifth floor. (up / down / off)

B. Read the situation and choose the right preposition.

The bridge was closed, so we had to swim ________ the river. (across / through / along)
We drove ________ a long tunnel, and the radio stopped working. (through / across / over)
The ball flew ________ the wall and into the next garden. (over / through / across)
Let's walk ________ the beach from one end to the other. (along / through / over)
Every day I walk ________ a small café on my way to work, but I never go in. (past / into / through)
Tom saw Anna at the other end of the street and walked ________ her to say hello. (towards / past / across)

C. Complete the sentences with in, out of, on or off.

The plane landed, and we got ___ it. → off

Hurry up and get ________ the bus, or it will leave without us.
Tom opened the door of the taxi, got ________ and told the driver the address.
Please stay in your seat and don't get ________ the car before it stops.
Anna got ________ her bike and rode to the shops.

D. Complete the sentences with to, at or in. Write - (a dash) if no preposition is needed.

It's getting late. I think I'll go ________ home.
Our friends arrived ________ Italy last week, and they love it there.
How long does it take to get ________ the airport from here?
We arrived ________ the museum just before it closed.
Anna went ________ downstairs to open the door.

E. Write the sentence again with the opposite movement. Change only the preposition.

Tom got into the taxi. → Tom got out of the taxi.

Anna got on the train. (opposite)
Tom walked into the shop. (opposite)
The boy climbed up the tree. (opposite)
The cat jumped onto the wall. (opposite)
The children ran towards the house. (opposite)

F. Put the words in order. Use all the words.

the / time / station / did / at / arrive / what / Tom
out / the / jumped / of / Anna / boat
for / the / Tom / road / along / hour / an / cycled
children / ran / field / across / the / the

G. Correct the mistakes. Change only what is wrong. Two of the sentences are already right: keep them as they are.

What time did you get to home last night?
The guests arrived to the party at eight.
When the rain stopped, we got out from the tent.
It was a hot day, so Anna jumped in the pool.
Please don't enter into the kitchen in your dirty shoes.
We took a small boat across the lake.

H. Match each preposition with its meaning.

1. across ____
2. through ____
3. along ____
4. past ____
5. towards ____
1. a) from one side to the other of something around you
2. b) from one side of a flat place to the other
3. c) in the direction of something
4. d) by something without stopping
5. e) following a line such as a road or a river

KrumetoPrepositions of movement: into, out of, across, through…Answer key

Answer key

A. Into is from outside to inside, out of from inside to outside. Onto is to a surface, off away from it. Up goes higher, down goes lower.

into
out of
off
onto
up

B. Across is from side to side of a flat place or a line. Through is inside something around you. Over is above or to the other side of something high. Along follows a line. Past goes by without stopping. Towards is in the direction of.

across
through
over
along
past
towards

C. Cars and taxis: get in (or into) and get out of. Buses, trains, planes and bikes: get on and get off.

on / onto
in
out of
on / onto

D. Go to, get to: to + the place. Arrive at a building or a point, arrive in a city or a country, never arrive to. No preposition before home, upstairs and downstairs after a verb of movement.

- / no preposition
in
to
at
- / no preposition

E. Opposite pairs: into / out of, onto / off, on / off (a bus, a train), up / down, towards / away from.

Anna got off the train.
Tom walked out of the shop.
The boy climbed down the tree. / The boy climbed down from the tree.
The cat jumped off the wall. / The cat jumped down from the wall.
The children ran away from the house. / The children ran from the house.

F. Verb of movement + preposition + place: cycled along the road, ran across the field. Arrive takes at or in.

What time did Tom arrive at the station?
Anna jumped out of the boat.
Tom cycled along the road for an hour. / For an hour Tom cycled along the road.
The children ran across the field.

G. Go home (no to), arrive at / in (never to), get out of, get on a bus, enter a room (no into). With jump and put, both in and into are correct.

What time did you get home last night? — After get, home takes no preposition: get home.
The guests arrived at the party at eight. / At eight the guests arrived at the party. — Arrive takes at for a building, a point or an event: arrived at the party.
When the rain stopped, we got out of the tent. / We got out of the tent when the rain stopped. — Leaving the inside of something is get out of.
It was a hot day, so Anna jumped in the pool. (✓) — This sentence is right: after jump, both in and into show the movement. Into the pool is also correct.
Please don't enter the kitchen in your dirty shoes. — Enter takes its object directly: enter the kitchen.
We took a small boat across the lake. (✓) — This sentence is right: a lake is flat and open, so you go across it.

H. Across: side to side of a flat place. Through: inside something around you. Along: following a line. Past: by something without stopping. Towards: in the direction of something.

1 b · 2 a · 3 e · 4 d · 5 c