Prepositions of direction are helpful to understand where someone or something is going.
Click the preposition to see it used in context.
|
across |
along |
around |
away from |
down |
|
from |
into |
off |
out of |
over |
|
through |
to |
towards |
under |
up |
across
They walked across the street.
along
She biked along the river.
around
Nina takes nice strolls around the neighborhood.
away from
Nina decided to walk away from Keith.
down
She ran down the hill.
from
She comes from the United States of America.
into
She got into the bumper car.
off
Nina got off the boat.
out of
She walked out of the theatre and the taxi was waiting for her.
over
They drove over the river.
through
After, they passed through the new tunnel.
to
The band went to the park.
towards
She rode her horse towards the sunset.
under
The bird flew under the small aircraft.
up
Nina rode her bike up the trail to see the view.
The preposition to is always used with verbs implying movement.
Many English learners tend to use at instead, which is wrong.
For example:
|
Incorrect |
Correct |
|
I’m going |
I’m going to the gym tonight. |
|
I went |
I went to Paris for my vacation. |
|
Nina ran |
Nina ran to the stage |
|
After she walked |
After she walked to the piano. |
|
Everyone rushed |
Everyone rushed to the front. |
|
The musicians hurried |
The musicians hurried to their instruments. |
Nina, the character used in the examples, was inspired by the American singer, Nina Simone. To learn more about her colourful life and work, visit this National Women's History Museum page.