Prepositions of Movement (to/into/onto/from)

Showing direction with to, into, onto, from

beginner

When to Use

•to for general direction/destination: go to school, walk to the park
•into for movement from outside to inside: go into the room
•onto for movement toward a surface: put the book onto the shelf
•from to show origin: come from work, fall from the tree
•up/down/over/through for path; combine with to/from as needed

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Verb + preposition + place (go to the store / walk into the house / climb onto the roof)

Negative (-)

Negate the verb: We didn't go to the museum

Question (?)

Where/Which way + auxiliary + subject + verb + preposition?

💡 into = entering an enclosed space; onto = moving to a surface; to = general destination

Examples

✓She walked to the station.

✗She walked into the station (if not entering).

Use to for destination; into only if entering.

✓He ran into the house.

✗He ran to the house (if he stayed outside).

into shows movement inside.

✓Put the box onto the table.

✗Put the box to the table.

onto shows movement to a surface.

✓They came from the airport.

✗They came of the airport.

from shows origin.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Destination only → to; entering → into; moving to surface → onto; origin → from.
• If you cross a boundary, choose into/onto instead of to.
• Pair from with to/into/onto to show start/end clearly.
• Check if the movement ends inside or on a surface to pick into vs onto.

prepositions-place prepositions-time future-simple 📝 prepositions-beginner 📝 movement-prepositions-quiz

Prepositions of Movement (to/into/onto/from)

Showing direction with to, into, onto, from

beginner

When to Use

•to for general direction/destination: go to school, walk to the park
•into for movement from outside to inside: go into the room
•onto for movement toward a surface: put the book onto the shelf
•from to show origin: come from work, fall from the tree
•up/down/over/through for path; combine with to/from as needed

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Verb + preposition + place (go to the store / walk into the house / climb onto the roof)

Negative (-)

Negate the verb: We didn't go to the museum

Question (?)

Where/Which way + auxiliary + subject + verb + preposition?

💡 into = entering an enclosed space; onto = moving to a surface; to = general destination

Examples

✓She walked to the station.

✗She walked into the station (if not entering).

Use to for destination; into only if entering.

✓He ran into the house.

✗He ran to the house (if he stayed outside).

into shows movement inside.

✓Put the box onto the table.

✗Put the box to the table.

onto shows movement to a surface.

✓They came from the airport.

✗They came of the airport.

from shows origin.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Destination only → to; entering → into; moving to surface → onto; origin → from.
• If you cross a boundary, choose into/onto instead of to.
• Pair from with to/into/onto to show start/end clearly.
• Check if the movement ends inside or on a surface to pick into vs onto.

prepositions-place prepositions-time future-simple 📝 prepositions-beginner 📝 movement-prepositions-quiz

Prepositions of Movement (to/into/onto/from)

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

Prepositions of Movement (to/into/onto/from)

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗Go in the room (motion).

✗Put it to the table.

✗He jumped in the pool (motion).

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗Go in the room (motion).

✗Put it to the table.

✗He jumped in the pool (motion).

💡 Practice Tips

Related