Prepositions of direction

2. List of common prepositions of direction

1. What are prepositions of direction?

Prepositions of direction are words used to indicate movement from one place to another. They usually appear after verbs of motion like go, run, walk, drive, jump, move, or travel. Unlike prepositions of place, which describe where something is located, directional prepositions focus on where something is going. They are particularly useful in everyday situations such as giving direction, describing physical actions, or providing instructions.

She walked into the room.
They drove through the tunnel.
The child climbed onto the table.

Arrows and objects illustrating movement and prepositions of direction in English — Illustrated examples of prepositions of direction

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2. List of common prepositions of direction

Preposition	Use	Example
to	Direction toward a specific destination	She is going to the doctor.
into	Entering from the outside to the inside	He jumped into the pool.
onto	Going to a position on a surface	The cat jumped onto the bed.
out of	Exiting from the inside to the outside	He got out of the car.
off	Leaving or falling from a surface	The glass fell off the table.
across	Passing from one side to the other	They walked across the bridge.
through	Going in and then out of a space	The bus went through the tunnel.
towards	Heading in the direction of something	He walked towards the building.
along	Following the edge or course of something	She walked along the river.
over	Passing above something	The plane flew over the mountain.
around	Circling or surrounding something	They ran around the field.
past	Going beyond or in front of something	He walked past the bakery.
up	Heading to a higher place or level	She climbed up the stairs.
down	Heading to a lower place or level	He slid down the hill.

The dog ran into the garden as soon as the gate opened.
The children crawled through the tunnel in the playground.
He walked across the road carefully.
The cyclist rode along the riverbank at sunset.
We drove past the old castle on our way home.
The balloon floated up into the sky.
The skier went down the mountain slope.
They travelled to the city for a concert.
She moved towards the sound of the music.

3. Common confusions

3.1 In vs into

In shows the position of something that is already inside a space. Into indicates movement from the outside to the inside. If there is movement or a change of place, into is the correct option. If there is no movement and the subject is already within a space or container, in is the right choice.

The book is in the bag. (The book is already inside the bag.)
She put the book into the bag. (There is a movement from the outside to the inside.)

3.2 On vs onto

On refers to a fixed position. It describes something located on a surface or along a path. Onto expresses a change in position or direction. Study the example below.

Sarah is arranging her living room. She notices some magazines lying on the floor. She picks them up and places them onto the coffee table. Now, the magazines are on the table. Earlier, the action involved movement. Once the magazines are placed, their position is static, so they are on the table.

The glass is on the table. (Position)
The bikes were loaded onto the trailer. (Action + movement)

3.3 To vs towards

To indicates movement with a clear destination. In contrast, toward simply shows the direction of movement without confirming whether the destination has been reached or not. Below is a text illustrating the use of both prepositions.

James left his house early in the morning. Somebody saw him walk toward the train station. At that point, we only know the direction he’s heading. We do not know where exactly he is going. Later, his friend saw him walk to the station entrance. In this case, to confirms that he reached a specific destination. Let’s look at more examples.

He’s going to the market. (May be he is going to buy something at the market.)
I’m walking towards the market. (He is moving in that direction, not necessarily going there.)