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In this lesson, you can learn about prepositions of movement, like βaroundβ, βpastβ,
βtowardsβ, βthroughβ and more.
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Now, letβs look at how to use prepositions of movement in English.
βAroundβ can have two different meanings.
First, βaroundβ can mean βin a circleβ The train is going around the track.
βThe earth revolves around its axis.β
βAroundβ can also mean βin different directionsβ.
For example, if you say βwe walked around the city centreβ, you mean that you walked
to different parts of the centre.
He looked around to check that everything seemed OK.
He looked *around*, so he looked in different directions.
βAlongβ means βin a straight lineβ plus βparallel toβ something.
Sheβs walking along the stream.
The woman walked along the street.
Heβs cycling along the road.
Instead of βalongβ you can often use βupβ or βdownβ instead in conversational English.
For example, instead of βHeβs cycling along the roadβ, you could say βHeβs
cycling up the road,β or βHeβs cycling down the road.β
Confusingly, βupβ and βdownβ often mean exactly the same thing!
Sometimes, thereβs a small difference.
βUpβ can mean βtowards youβ and βdownβ can mean βaway from youβ
So, these two sentencesβ¦ β¦*could* mean the same thing.
The first sentence β with βupβ β could mean that sheβs walking towards you, and
the second sentence β with βdownβ β could mean that sheβs walking away from you.
The couple walked under the bridge.
She passed under the fallen tree.
βUnderβ is similar to βbelowβ, but not exactly the same.
βBelowβ means that you stay underneath something.
βUnderβ β as a preposition of movement β means that you pass from one side of something
to another So, if youβre talking about movement, βunderβ
You could say βthe couple walked below the bridge.β
Itβs grammatically correct, but itβs also strange.
βThe couple walked below the bridgeβ means they stayed in the area underneath the bridge,
so the bridge was over their heads the whole time when they were walking.
βOverβ is the direct opposite of βunderβ.
The plane flew right over our heads.
The direct opposite of βbelowβ is βaboveβ.
The difference between βoverβ and βaboveβ is the same as the difference between βunderβ
βAcrossβ means from one side of something to the other.
When the light turned green, they walked across the street.
We walked across a narrow wooden bridge.
When you use βacrossβ, there normally isnβt anything above you.
For closed spaces, do you know which preposition to use?
The boat travelled through the swamp.
Sometimes, both βthroughβ and βacrossβ are possible; you can say βThe boat travelled
through the swampβ or ββ¦across the swamp.β
The meaning is similar, but there could be a small difference.
βThroughβ means that you enter and then exit something.
If you drive *through* a tunnel, you first drive into the tunnel, and then you drive
If the boat travels *through* the swamp, it moves into the swamp, then later moves out
βAcrossβ means that you start on one side, and finish on the opposite side.
If you say βthe boat travelled across the swampβ, you mean that it entered the swamp
on one side, and exited on the other side.
You can use both βacrossβ and βthroughβ with large, open spaces, especially natural
spaces: fields, parks, gardens, cities, and so on.
When you can use both, βacrossβ has a more specific meaning than βthroughβ.
Both mean that you entered a space and then exited it, but βacrossβ also tells you
βTowardsβ means that you approach something; you get closer to something.
Sheβs walking towards the sea.
Theyβre walking towards the lighthouse.
The opposite of βtowardsβ is βaway fromβ.
Hereβs a question: whatβs the difference between these two?
Both mean that they *approached* the lighthouse, but theyβre slightly different.
βTowardsβ tells you a direction.
βUp toβ tells you a final result.
If they walked *towards* the lighthouse, they got closer to it.
You donβt know where they started or finished, but you know that they got closer to the lighthouse.
If they walked *up to* the lighthouse, then they reached the lighthouse; they ended up
In this case, you donβt know where they started, but do you know where they finished.
βIntoβ has two common meanings as a preposition of movement.
βIntoβ can also mean to collide with something.
The cars crashed into each other.
The opposite of βintoβ β meaning βenterββ is βout ofβ.
She took the instruments out of the cupboard.
He got out of his car to fill it up with petrol.
I was walking past the cafΓ© when I saw my friend sitting inside.
The two women walked past the parking garage.
If you walk past something β for example a house β you start with the house in front
of you, you walk *past* the house, and then the house is behind you.
βUpβ and βdownβ have two common meanings as prepositions of movement.
First, you have the basic meaning: to a higher or lower
When we let go of the lanterns, they flew up into the sky.
He walked down the stairs while talking on the phone.
The roller coaster accelerated down a steep drop.
You saw earlier that βupβ or βdownβ can also have the same meaning as βalongβ.