Practice
English practice: places, movement, and prepositions
Sign in to saveMeet me at the station, walk through the main entrance, and wait by the information desk. One short word changes the picture a listener makes.
Choose a preposition that clearly shows a place, a destination, or movement through a space.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Walk through the main entrance and wait by the desk. /wɔːk θruː ðə meɪn ˈentrəns ən weɪt baɪ ðə desk/
The short answer
Use at for a point, in for an enclosed area, and on for a surface or line. Use to for a destination, into for entry, through for movement inside a space, and across for movement from one side to another.
We met at the station and walked into the café.
Why it works: At identifies the meeting point. Into shows movement from outside to inside the café.
5 more examples
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The visitors are waiting at the reception desk.
The desk is treated as a meeting point.
Not this:The visitors are waiting
in the reception area. What changes: An area is a space around the visitors, so in describes their position. -
Your coat is on the chair.
On shows contact with the chair's surface.
Not this:Your coat is
under the chair. What changes: Under changes the position to the space below the chair. -
We walked to the library after class.
To names the destination of the walk.
Not this:We walked
into the libraryafter class. What changes: Into adds the detail that the walkers crossed from outside to inside. -
The dog ran through the open gate.
Through describes a route within an opening.
Not this:The dog ran
across the field. What changes: Across describes travel from one side of the field toward the other. -
There is a bakery on King Street.
English commonly uses on with a street name.
Not this:There is a bakery
at 14 King Street. What changes: At is used for the precise address on that street.
Read the full guide
Picture the action before you choose the word. If someone stays in a place, use a place preposition. If they travel toward it, use to. If they cross a boundary and enter, use into. A station is often a point on a journey, while a room is usually a space around someone.
Decide whether the sentence shows place or movement
Find the main action first. Verbs such as be, sit, wait, and stay usually describe a position. Verbs such as go, walk, run, and drive often describe movement. This choice guides the preposition.
Mina is in the kitchen.
Is gives Mina's position, and the kitchen is an enclosed room, so in is useful.
Mina went into the kitchen.
Went shows movement. Into says that Mina crossed into the kitchen from outside it.
Use at for a point and in for a space
At often points to a meeting place, an entrance, a bus stop, or an exact address. In usually puts someone inside an area, room, building, town, or country. The same location can use different words when the speaker shows a different view of it.
I will meet you at the cinema.
The cinema is the agreed meeting point. The sentence does not say which part of the building the people are using.
We found two empty seats in the cinema.
This sentence describes a position inside the building, so in is the better choice.
Use on for surfaces, floors, and streets
Use on when something touches a surface. English also uses on for a floor in a building and for many street names. Do not use on for a general enclosed room; use in for that meaning.
Please leave the keys on the table.
The keys touch the table's surface, so on shows their position clearly.
Her office is on the third floor.
A floor is treated as a level or surface in a building, so English uses on.
Use to and into for destinations
Use to when the destination is the important information. Use into when the movement crosses a boundary and enters a place. Into is especially useful for rooms, buildings, cars, shops, and containers.
Take this form to the office.
The office is the destination. The sentence does not need to describe the doorway or the moment of entry.
Take this form into the office.
Into adds a route: carry the form from outside the office to inside it.
Use through and across for a route
Choose through when a route passes inside a passage or other space. Choose across when it travels over an open surface or area from one side to the other. The route gives you the useful clue.
The train passed through the tunnel.
The train's route is inside the tunnel for part of the journey, so through fits.
Walk across the road at the lights.
Across describes movement from one side of the road to the other.
Learn common location phrases in full
Some place phrases are common because speakers use them repeatedly. Learn them in a full sentence: at home, at work, in bed, on the bus, and at the airport. Then notice what the preposition contributes instead of translating one word at a time.
Ella is on the bus now.
English commonly says on public transport such as a bus, train, or plane.
Ella is at the bus stop now.
At the bus stop means she is at the point where passengers wait, not inside the bus.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose a place word when nothing is moving and a movement word when the subject changes location. At names a point, in names an enclosed space, and on names a surface or line. To gives a destination; into, through, and across make the route more specific.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: places, movement, and prepositions"
What is the difference between at and in for places?
Use at when you mean a point, such as a meeting place, a bus stop, or a precise address. Use in when you mean inside an area or enclosed space, such as a room, a building, a town, or a country. The intended view of the location decides the choice.
The visitors are waiting at the reception desk.
When should I use on for a place?
Use on for contact with a surface: on the table, on the wall, or on the floor. English also commonly uses on with streets and building floors. Use in instead when the main idea is position inside a room or another enclosed space.
The visitors are waiting in the reception area.
What is the difference between to and into?
To gives a destination, while into adds the idea of crossing from outside to inside. You can go to a shop when the destination is enough. You go into a shop when you want to describe entering the building.
Your coat is on the chair.
How are through and across different?
Through describes a route inside a passage, opening, or space. Across describes travel from one side of an open surface or area to the other. A train can travel through a tunnel, while a person can walk across a field.
Your coat is under the chair.
How can I choose the right preposition in a new sentence?
First decide whether the sentence describes a fixed position, a destination, entry into a place, or a route. Then picture the place as a point, space, surface, opening, or area. Reading and repeating complete example sentences helps common choices become familiar.
We walked to the library after class.