THE PREPOSITIONS OF DIRECTION

Prepositions of direction indicate that something is headed for or directed

to somewhere. Prepositions of direction include prepositions such as into,
on, onto, through, to, toward.  For example:

o We watched the bus disappear into the tunnel.

o She must have put the pumpkin onto someone else’s trolley in the
supermarket.
o The pebble that went through the window fell with a loud thump.
o The snake slithered toward the swamp.

Prepositions of direction can be classified into simple or compound

prepositions. There are various examples of prepositions of direction and each
has its unique application in a sentence.

TO
It is used to show movement, action or condition suggesting movement in the
direction of a place, a thing or a person. We use to to show destination or
indicate an action.

This preposition can be used with other phrases in a sentence to bring out
specific meaning or stand by itself and still bring logic. For instance, you can use
onto to signify movement to a particular surface or into to indicate getting to an
interior of something.

For example: I go to work by car.

They travel to the site every evening to check the progress of their project.
They used to go to the mountains during the holidays.

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INTO
This is a directional preposition indicating movement into an enclosed place or
object.
For example: The students walked into the cave to study its history.
Suddenly they entered into a room filled with unknown people.

ONTO
This preposition indicates a surface and not an enclosed place. It should be used
while describing movement in an open place.
For example: The waves swiped the boat from the sea onto the shore easily.
The luggage was packed onto the truck.

TOWARDS
This preposition specifies the destination that one is heading to. You may be
moving to a certain direction but do not specify the destination that you are
headed, so towards is used to indicate the direction and destination by
associating the movement with the destination.
For example: I had to run towards the shelter when it started raining.
The network of communication improves as you get towards the city.

The prepositions mentioned above are the main prepositions of movement,

however there are some other prepositions which also bring the impression of
movement to a specific direction. Some of these are:

ACROSS
This preposition means “to move from one side to another”. In other words,
there has to be two points that are beside each other so that it comes in as the
bridging for the two.
For example: When you travel to those countries you need to get a boat to take
you across the ocean.
The zebra crossing is usually white paintings across the road.

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ALONG
This preposition indicates movement of something or somebody in a certain
line. It is used while describing a certain length that something covers in a line.
For example: This vegetable is being planted along the river to obtain
sufficient water for its development.
The cattle grazed along the road.

AROUND
This preposition is used to indicate movement in a circular direction.
For example: Some of these people walked around the park with the help of a
guide.
This bus moves around the city picking up passengers.

DOWN
This preposition is used to show the elevation of the direction that something is
going.
For example: He had an accident while running down the valley.
I prefer riding down the hill because it’s less tiresome.

OFF
This preposition is used to indicate physical separation or distance from a
position of rest, attachment or union.
For example: The manager was asked to get the car off the road due to its
condition.
The students were asked to get off the train when it reached the right station.

OVER
This preposition is used to show two directions at the same time: moving up and
in a forward direction.
For example: The horse jumped over the fence when the fire started.
To reach that house you need to cross over the bridge to the next village.

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PAST
This preposition is used to indicate a direction beyond something. It is derived
from the word passing.
For example: We moved past the hill before we encountered the raiders.
You will find that city just past the main highway.

THROUGH
This preposition is used to indicate movement into at one side or point and out
at another.
For example: We had to pass through the tunnel to reach the safety room.
If you follow that pathway through the forest, you will find the cabin.

UP
This preposition indicates vertical movement from the ground in whichever
elevation.
For example: They climbed up the mountain during their hike to Mount
Everest.
When they didn’t notice, the dog went up the stairs.

Some of the prepositions of direction are easily confused yet they have very
similar meanings.

INTO vs IN TO
The preposition into indicates movement or an action and it means “to the
interior of something”. It answers the question where?
For example: After this realization, they went into the laboratory to keep
working on their project.

On the other hand, in to appears in a verb phrase and therefore in acts as an

adverb while to is the preposition.
For example: The rescuers went back in to save the survivors.

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ONTO vs ON TO
The preposition onto is used to mean upon or something landed on.
For example: The dog jumped onto the floor. (meaning “the dog landed on the
floor”).

On the other hand, on to comes with a different meaning altogether because

on in this case is used as an adverb while to is the preposition.
For example: The driver was holding on to the steering wheel when the car
started skidding.