Prepositions of movement – along, across, over, etc.

Prepositions of movement

We use prepositions after verbs to describe the direction of movement. It’s common to use these prepositions after verbs that describe movement (walk, run, come, go, drive, cycle, fly, etc.), although it is also possible to use them after other types of verbs (We talked over the fence, I looked into the room, etc.) or after nouns (the path to the beach, the road from Leeds, the way up the hill, etc.)

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Get on/off the bus or train, get into/out of the car

We say get in and get out of for a car, taxi, or van, but we say get on or get off for motorbikes and bicycles and for public means of transport, such as a bus, a train or a plane.

• I have to get off the bus at the next stop. 
• He stopped and got out of the car.

Go to work by car= drive to work

When we want to talk about how we go from place A to place B, we can do it in two different ways:

➪ Using by + means of transport (car, taxi, plane, bike, etc.) or using on + foot.

• I go to school on foot. 
• I go to work by car.
• I went to Zurich by plane. 
• I went to the airport by taxi. 

➪ Using a verb of movement (walk, drive, fly, cycle, etc.) or for public transport, using take + means of transport.

• I walk to school
• I drive to work. 
• I flew to Zurich. 
• I took a taxi/a bus/a train/etc. to the airport.