Prepositions of Direction (From, To, Into, Onto, Away): A fly got into my soup!
After this lesson, you will be able to talk about directions.
Exercise 1
Sentence Practice
She comes from New York.
He went to New York last year.
I just came back to London from New York.
They go to the gym every day.
Last summer, I went from Korea to Japan by plane.
He hurried into the house.
The little girl climbed onto the bed and fell asleep a few moments later.
Step away from the dog; it might be dangerous.
Grammar Focus
From
Use the preposition from to talk about the source of something or the place where it starts.
She comes from Japan.
Let's start from page 21.
I got the book from my friend.
To
Use the preposition to, to show the direction of something:
She goes to Spain every year.
She went to school by bus.
Let's go to that cafe.
The man is jumping from the cliff on the left to the cliff on the right.
Into
Use the preposition into to talk about people/things/animals that are within or entering something:
Put the leftovers into the fridge.
The dog went into the house.
The man is jumping into the ocean.
Onto
Use the preposition onto to talk about people/things/animals that are moving towards or on top of a surface:
Put the vase onto the table.
Steve drove his car onto the sidewalk.
The cat is climbing onto the box.
Away from
Use the preposition away from to talk about distance or people/things/animals that are moving further from something:
Move away from the fire.
Put the books away from food.
The man is running away from the dog.
Certain expressions use 'away' by itself. For example: "Go away (from me)!" and "Susan went away (from home) for her studies."
Exercise 2
Dialogue Practice
Read the dialogues aloud with your teacher.
Visiting a Friend in Another Country
Hyun-woo
How can I get to your house from the airport?
Nathan
You can take a bus from the airport to a hotel near my house.
Hyun-woo
How far is the hotel from your house?
Nathan
It's just 10 minutes away on foot.
Hyun-woo
What can we do there?
Nathan
If you come in time for Independence Day, we can go onto the roof to watch fireworks.
Siblings
Matt
Don't come into my room. It's a mess!
Nina
Put your stuff into the closet and onto the bookshelves, and it won't be such a mess!
Matt
Go away. You're annoying.
Exercise 3
Multiple Choice
Choose the correct answers to complete the sentences.
A west wind blows _______ the west.
A. from
B. away from
I just got ______ France today.
A. from
B. to
Her cup fell ________ the sink.
A. onto
B. into
Come _______ the second floor.
A.onto
B.into
Angrily, Alex turned ______ Jenn.
A. away from
B. into
Not wanting to get a tan, I moved __________ the window.
A. onto
B. away from
Keep the food _______ the cat.
A. away from
B. to
Exercise 4
Sentence Building
Create sentences using the following words and phrases.
hit a golf ball, into the hole → "Tiger Woods, hit the golf ball into the hole every time!"
yesterday, into town
this dress, from New York
the desserts, away from the dog
onto the roof, fireworks
from New York to Hawaii
