Explanations + Practice
Prepositions of Movement: Explained
Prepositions of movement show direction or where something is moving to. Here are some common prepositions of movement:
1. To
- “To” shows movement toward a specific destination.
- Example: I’m going to the park. (Direction toward the park)
2. Into
- “Into” shows movement from the outside to the inside of something.
- Example: She walked into the room. (Movement from outside to inside the room)
3. Out of
- “Out of” shows movement from the inside to the outside of something.
- Example: He ran out of the house. (Movement from inside to outside the house)
4. Onto
- “Onto” shows movement from one place to a surface.
- Example: The cat jumped onto the table. (Movement from the floor to the table’s surface)
5. Off
- “Off” shows movement away from a surface.
- Example: She got off the bus. (Movement away from the bus)
6. Over
- “Over” shows movement above or across something.
- Example: The plane flew over the mountains. (Movement across the top of the mountains)
7. Under
- “Under” shows movement below something.
- Example: The dog crawled under the bed. (Movement below the bed)
8. Along
- “Along” shows movement in a line, following something.
- Example: We walked along the beach. (Movement following the beach’s path)
9. Across
- “Across” shows movement from one side to the other.
- Example: The boy ran across the street. (Movement from one side of the street to the other)
10. Through
- “Through” shows movement from one side of something to the other side, usually inside something.
- Example: The car drove through the tunnel. (Movement inside and then out the other side of the tunnel)
11. Past
- “Past” shows movement beyond or farther than something.
- Example: He walked past the library. (Movement beyond the library)
12. Up
- “Up” shows movement toward a higher position.
- Example: She climbed up the hill. (Movement to a higher position)
13. Down
- “Down” shows movement toward a lower position.
- Example: He slid down the slide. (Movement to a lower position)
Extra Practice
Quiz: Prepositions of Movement
Choose the correct preposition of movement to complete the sentence. Answers are provided at the bottom.
1. The cat jumped ___ the fence.
a) over
b) under
c) along
2. She ran ___ the tunnel.
a) into
b) through
c) over
3. We walked ___ the riverbank, enjoying the view.
a) past
b) along
c) through
4. He climbed ___ the mountain to reach the top.
a) off
b) under
c) up
5. The children went ___ the park after school.
a) to
b) into
c) over
6. She got ___ the bus at the next stop.
a) off
b) down
c) through
7. The boy threw the ball ___ a box and won a prize.
a) onto
b) into
c) past
8. The birds flew ___ the house on their way south.
a) onto
b) into
c) over
9. He jumped ___ the stream to get to the other side.
a) along
b) across
c) through
10. They drove ___ the city to get to the countryside.
a) out of
b) under
c) into
11. The man walked ___ the restaurant to use the bathroom.
a) over
b) past
c) into
12. She ran ___ the hill to get to the bottom.
a) off
b) down
c) up
13. He walked ___ the corner store and turned right.
a) up
b) past
c) off
14. The dog ran ___ the house when I opened the door.
a) out of
b) down
c) through
15. We walked ___ the beach and watched the waves.
a) through
b) along
c) up
Answers:
- a) over
- b) through
- b) along
- c) up
- a) to
- a) off
- b) into
- c) over
- b) across
- a) out of
- c) into
- b) down
- b) past
- a) out of
- b) along