Prepositions of Movement
Learn how to describe movement using along, across, over, and more.
- check_circleI can describe movement from one place to another.
- check_circleI can give directions using prepositions of movement.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
A conversation between two friends planning a hiking trip.
Sarah: So, how do we get to the waterfall?
Tom: First, we walk along the river for about a mile. Then, we need to go over a small hill.
Sarah: Okay. Do we have to go through the dark forest?
Tom: Yes, we walk into the forest and follow the path across the wooden bridge.
Sarah: That sounds fun! What happens after the bridge?
Tom: After we walk across the bridge, we go under a huge fallen tree. Finally, we walk out of the trees and we will see the waterfall!
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
When we talk about moving from one place to another, we use prepositions of movement. These words usually follow action verbs like go, walk, run, drive, or jump.
Into and Out of
We use into when we move to the inside of a closed space. We use out of when we leave a closed space.
- She walked into the room and closed the door.
- He took his phone out of his pocket.
Remember that into is one word, but out of is two words!
Over and Under
We use over when we move above something. We use under when we move below something.
- The plane flew over the mountains.
- The cat ran under the bed to hide.
Across and Along
We use across when we move from one side to the other side of a flat surface (like a street, river, or bridge). We use along when we move in a line next to something long (like a road, river, or beach).
- They walked across the bridge.
- We jogged along the beach for two miles.
Common mistake: Spanish speakers often use cross (verb) when they mean across (preposition).
We walked cross the street.
We walked across the street. OR We crossed the street.
- into / out of: Entering or leaving a closed space.
- over / under: Moving above or below something.
- across: Moving from one side to the other.
- along: Following a line or path.
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?