Prepositions of Movement
Show direction and journeys with to, into, out of, through, across, along, up, down and past — and give clear directions. B1 grammar with 20 questions.
In A1 you learned prepositions of place (in, on, at). Now let’s learn prepositions of movement — the words that show direction: how we go from one place to another. These are essential for giving directions and describing journeys.
The main movement prepositions
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to | towards a destination | I walk to school. |
| into | entering (outside → inside) | She went into the room. |
| out of | leaving (inside → outside) | He came out of the shop. |
| through | from one side to the other | We drove through the tunnel. |
| across | from one side to the other (flat) | They walked across the bridge. |
| along | following a line/road | Walk along this street. |
| up / down | higher / lower | She ran up the stairs. |
| past | by and beyond | Go past the bank. |
Giving directions — a real example
“To get to EduCareer: walk along the main road, go past the mosque, turn left, and go across the bridge. The office is the building you walk into on your right.”
to vs into
Use to for the general destination, and into when you actually enter an enclosed space.
- We went to the cinema. (destination)
- We went into the cinema. (we entered it)
Tutor tip for Arabic speakersA very common error is “go to home.” With home, we use no preposition: “go home,” “come home.” Also, don’t confuse across (over a flat surface, like a bridge or road) with through (inside something, like a tunnel or forest).
Common mistakes
- I go to home. → I go home.
- We walked across the tunnel. → We walked through the tunnel.
- She came out the shop. → She came out of the shop.
Practise prepositions of movement with the 20 questions below.
Check your understanding
Answer the questions below. You will see instantly if you are right.
1."I walk ___ school every day."
to = towards a destination.
2."She went ___ the room." (entered)
into = entering an enclosed space.
3."He came ___ the shop." (left it)
out of = leaving.
4."We drove ___ the tunnel."
through = inside, one side to the other.
5."They walked ___ the bridge."
across = over a flat surface.
6."Walk ___ this street." (follow it)
along = following a line/road.
7."She ran ___ the stairs." (higher)
up = to a higher place.
8."Go ___ the bank and turn left." (by and beyond)
past = by and beyond.
9.Which is correct?
"home" takes no preposition: go home.
10.Which is correct?
through a tunnel (inside).
11.Which is correct?
out of the shop.
12."We went ___ the cinema." (general destination)
to = destination.
13."We went ___ the cinema." (we entered the building)
into = entered.
14."The cat jumped ___ the table." (onto a higher surface, downward off it)
down from = to a lower place.
15."Swim ___ the river to the other side."
across = to the other side.
16."We walked ___ the forest." (inside it)
through = inside the forest.
17."He drove ___ my house without stopping."
past = by and beyond.
18."Climb ___ the hill to see the view."
up the hill.
19."Put the books ___ the box." (inside)
into = inside.
20.Direction phrase: "Go ___ the road and the school is on your left."
along the road.
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