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1 Direction Prepositions

This document discusses direction prepositions and their usage with objects. It provides examples of prepositions like across, against, along etc. and explains that some prepositions are followed by optional from, to or of when used with a location object. It notes some common exceptions to this rule and gives examples. It also explains how to and from can be added to other prepositions like up and down to indicate movement towards or away from something, especially when describing movement on stairs.

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Georgina W. Rusch
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33 views3 pages

1 Direction Prepositions

This document discusses direction prepositions and their usage with objects. It provides examples of prepositions like across, against, along etc. and explains that some prepositions are followed by optional from, to or of when used with a location object. It notes some common exceptions to this rule and gives examples. It also explains how to and from can be added to other prepositions like up and down to indicate movement towards or away from something, especially when describing movement on stairs.

Uploaded by

Georgina W. Rusch
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Direction Prepositions

Preposition Example Sentence

across The red ball bounced across the blue line

against The red ball rolled against the blue box.

along The red ball is rolling along the blue line.

around The red ball is rolling around the blue box.

away from The red ball is rolling away from the blue box.

down The red ball is rolling down the blue stairs.

from The red ball is coming from the blue box.

into The red ball is bouncing into the blue box.

off of The red ball is rolling off of the blue box.

onto The red ball is bouncing onto the blue box.

out of The red ball is bouncing out of the blue box.

over The red ball is bouncing over the blue box.

through The red ball is rolling through the hole in the blue box.

to The red ball is rolling to the blue box.

toward(s) The red ball is rolling towards the blue box.

under The red ball is rolling under the blue box.

up The red ball is rolling up the blue stairs.

Using From, To and Of with Direction Prepositions

In the pictures above, you will notice that some prepositions are followed by an
optional from, to or of. If you want to use these prepositions with a location object,
you have to use the optional from, to or of. If there is no location object, you do not
need to use the optional from, to or of.

Examples:

● Sherry walked into the house. has object "the house"


● Sherry walked in. no object
● Katie jumped out of the boat. has object "boat"
● Katie jumped out. no object
● He walked away from me. has object "me"
● He walked away. no object

Sometimes, native speakers can break the rules!!!

With certain common expressions, we sometimes break the above rule, and we don't
use the prepositions from, to or of even when they are followed by objects. In fact,
some grammar books argue that off of is wrong! However, you cannot always skip
from, to or of. Experience will teach you when and where you can do this.

Examples:

● Katie jumped off the moving streetcar. common


● Sherry walked out the door. common
● Sherry walked out the house. not correct

Adding To or From to Other Direction Prepositions

The prepositions to and from can be added to other direction prepositions to give a
more detailed description of whether someone is moving towards or away from
something. This is especially common when talking about movement on stairs or
hills.

Examples:

● John walked up to the top of the staircase. John started at the bottom.
● John walked down from the top of the staircase. John started at the top.
● John walked down to Mary. John started at the top, and he walked down to
Mary who was waiting at the bottom.

Direction Preposition Exercises

● Direction Prepositions Exercise 1


● Direction Prepositions Exercise 2

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