Prepositions of Direction and Movement For beginners

In this lesson, learn about prepositions of direction and movement like "to," "from," and "across," used to show where or how something moves. Simple explanations and easy examples to understand their use.

"Prepositions of Direction and Movement" in English Grammar

What Are Prepositions of Direction and Movement?

Prepositions of direction and movement are words that describe how a person or object moves from one place to another.

Common Prepositions of Direction and Movement

Some of the common prepositions of movement and direction are listed below:

over

under

into

out of

around

across

up

down

Now, let us see what each one means and how it functions:

Over

'Over' shows movement from one side to another above something. Take a look at some examples:

Example

The bird flew over the fence.

She jumped over the puddle.

Under

'Under' shows that someone/something is moving to a position below something. Look below:

Example

The cat ran under the table.

He crawled under the bed.

Into

'Into' is another preposition of movement and direction. It shows that something/someone is going inside a place:

Example

Let's go into the third room.

The cat jumped into the box.

Out of

'Out of' is another preposition of movement and direction. We use it to show a movement away from a place. For example:

Example

Move out of this room!

She took the book out of the bag.

Around

'Around' shows movement on all sides of something. Here are some examples:

Example

The kids are running around the table.

We took a walk around the Eifel Tower.

Across

Another common preposition of movement and direction is 'across'. It shows movement from one side to another side. Check out the following examples:

Example

I saw Jim running across the street an hour ago.

The dog ran across the yard.

Up

'Up' shows movement to a higher position. Look at the examples below:

Example

Maria is going up the ladder.

A:

Where are they going?

B:

They're going up the hill.

Down

Another preposition of movement and direction is 'down'. We use it to show movement to a lower position. Look at the following examples:

Example

There's a telephone box down the stairs.

He ran down the hill to catch the bus.

Quiz:


1.

Which of the following sentences uses the preposition over correctly?

A

The car drove over the road.

B

She walked over the room.

C

The dog jumped over the box.

D

He went over the house.

2.

Sort the words to form a meaningful sentence.

the street
into
the house
and
.
walked
she
across
3.

Match each incomplete sentence with the correct ending based on prepositions of movement and direction.

The children are running across
He climbed up
The bird flew over
We walked around
The cat jumped into
the tree.
the roof.
the street.
the pool.
the box.
4.

Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition to complete the story.

Tom and his friends decided to explore the park. They started by walking

the lake. After a while, they saw a stream. Tom jumped

the rocks to cross to the other side. His friend Mia climbed

the small hill to get a better view. They continued walking and passed a beautiful flower garden. Suddenly, they saw a rabbit hop

the bushes and run

the field.

over
across
around
out of
up
5.

Fill out the table by choosing the correct preposition for each description.

DescriptionPreposition

Movement to a lower position

Movement inside a place

Movement away from a place

Movement on all sides of something

Movement from one side to another side

Movement to a position below something

around
down
into
out of
across
under

Comments

(0)
Loading Recaptcha...

Recommended

Types of Prepositions

bookmark
Prepositions can indicate different relationships between the elements of the sentence. This lesson will clarify some of their most common functions.

Prepositions of Time

bookmark
Prepositions allow us to talk about the relationship between two words in a sentence. Here, we will discuss the different prepositions of time in English.

Prepositions of Place

bookmark
Prepositions allow us to talk about the relationship between two words in a sentence. Here, we will discuss the different prepositions of place in English.

Prepositions of Manner

bookmark
Prepositions of manner which are also called 'Prepositions of Method' express how a certain thing happens or is done. In this part, we will discuss them.

Compound Prepositions

bookmark
Compound Prepositions or complex prepositions consist of two or more words that function as a single preposition. You'll learn about them here!

Complex Prepositions

bookmark
Complex prepositions are created by combining two or more simple prepositions like out of and as for. In this lesson, we will discover more about them.
LanGeek
Download LanGeek app