English has a whole family of prepositions that describe how someone or something moves. They answer questions like Where are you going?, Which way did you come?, and How did you get past that?

Most of these prepositions paint a clear visual picture — it can help to imagine the shape of the movement, like drawing an arrow on a map.

Quick tip: A preposition of movement tells you the path of the action. She walked through the park — the arrow goes in one side and out the other.

Starting point and destination: from, to, towards / toward, away from

These prepositions say where a movement begins or is aimed:

Preposition Meaning Example
from the starting point We travelled from London to Paris.
to moving toward a destination or goal I'm going to work.
towards / toward moving in the direction of (without necessarily arriving) She walked towards the door.
away from increasing distance from something He ran away from the noise.

A useful contrast — to vs. towards:

  • I walked to the park. → With a completed action, arrival is usually understood.
  • I walked towards the park. → I was heading that way — but maybe I never got there.

Both towards (British English) and toward (American English) are correct — you'll encounter both.

Entering and leaving: into, out of, onto, off

These prepositions show movement across a boundary — entering or leaving an enclosed space, or landing on or departing from a surface.

Preposition Meaning Example
into entering an enclosed space She walked into the room.
out of leaving an enclosed space He ran out of the building.
onto moving to a surface The cat jumped onto the table.
off leaving a surface She fell off the bike.

Into and onto make it especially clear that something is changing place — crossing a threshold or landing on a surface. In and on can also follow movement verbs, but they tend to focus on the resulting position rather than the crossing:

  • She put the keys in / into her bag. — both are possible; into highlights the action of putting them inside.
  • The ball rolled on / onto the grass. — both are possible; onto emphasises moving from somewhere else to the surface.

Crossing a space: across, through, along, past, around

These prepositions describe different ways of moving over or within a space:

Preposition Meaning Example
across from one side to the other She swam across the river.
through passing inside an enclosed or dense space We drove through the tunnel.
along following the length of something Let's walk along the beach.
past going beyond a fixed point Turn left just past the school.
around following a curved or circular path We walked around the lake.

Across vs. through is one of the most useful distinctions to learn:

  • Across = from one side to the other side of a place or surface (a road, a river, a room, a bridge): We walked across the bridge.
  • Through = passing inside something with walls, density, or an opening: The train went through the tunnel. · We walked through the forest.

Both can apply to a forest — across the forest means from one edge to the other; through the forest means moving inside among the trees (the more common choice when you're physically in it).

Up, down, over, under

These describe movement in relation to height or passing above or below something:

Preposition Meaning Example
up moving to a higher point She climbed up the stairs.
down moving to a lower point He ran down the hill.
over moving above and across something The bird flew over the roof.
under passing below something We crawled under the fence.

Over vs. across — both can describe crossing something, but the path's height differs:

  • We drove across the bridge. (at road level)
  • The plane flew over the city. (from above)

Common mistakes

  • ❌ The cat fell from the roof. → ✅ The cat fell off the roof. (off = leaving a surface; from gives a starting point but doesn't convey the surface)
  • ❌ She climbed up to the stairs. → ✅ She climbed up the stairs. (up to means reaching a point, not climbing along something)
  • ❌ We drove through the bridge. → ✅ We drove across the bridge. (a bridge is an open surface, not an enclosed space)
  • ❌ He walked to the direction of the exit. → ✅ He walked towards the exit. (towards, not to the direction of)
  • ❌ She jumped on the stage from the side. → ✅ She jumped onto the stage. (when jumping to a surface, onto is the clearer choice)

Quick check

Which preposition fits best?

  1. We drove ___ the tunnel. (across / through)
  2. She walked ___ the room and sat down. (into / to)
  3. The children ran ___ the hill as fast as they could. (down / under)
  4. He jumped ___ the wall and landed in the garden. (over / across)
  5. You go ___ the post office and turn left. (past / along)
Show answers
  1. through   2. into   3. down   4. over   5. past

Key takeaways

  • From = starting point; to = destination or goal (arrival is usually understood in a completed sentence); towards / toward = heading in a direction (may not arrive); away from = increasing distance.
  • Into / out of describe entering or leaving an enclosed space; onto / off describe moving to or leaving a surface.
  • In / on can also follow movement verbs, but focus on the resulting position; into / onto highlight the crossing or change of place.
  • Across = from one side to the other of a place or surface; through = passing inside something enclosed or dense.
  • Along = following a length; past = going beyond a point; around = a curved or circular path.
  • Over = moving above something; under = passing below; up / down = change in height.