Question 1

What is the difference between "to" and "into"?

Accepted Answer

"To" shows direction towards a destination without describing what happens when you arrive: "I walked to the shop" (I went in the direction of the shop). "Into" shows that you entered an enclosed space: "I walked into the shop" (I went inside it). With some verbs, the difference matters: "She ran to the house" (towards it — she may have stopped outside) vs "She ran into the house" (she entered it). With other verbs, only "to" works: "I went to London" (not "into London"). A common mistake is using "in" instead of "into" for movement: say "Come into the room" (entering — movement) rather than "Come in the room." This is a key distinction for A2 and B1 level learners.

Question 2

Why do we say "in a car" but "on a bus"?

Accepted Answer

The traditional explanation is about size and how you use the vehicle. For small, private vehicles where you sit in a fixed seat and cannot move around, we use "in": "in a car," "in a taxi," "in a van." For large public vehicles where you can stand up and walk around, we use "on": "on a bus," "on a train," "on a plane," "on a ship." Think of "on" as being on a platform or surface you can move across. There are exceptions: we say "on a bicycle," "on a motorbike," and "on a horse" because you sit on top of them. For getting in and out of vehicles, use the matching preposition: "get in/out of a car" but "get on/off a bus." This distinction is tested in Cambridge A2 and B1 exams.

Question 3

What is the difference between "through" and "across"?

Accepted Answer

"Through" means passing inside something from one end to the other — the thing you pass through surrounds you: "We walked through the forest" (trees were on all sides), "The train went through the tunnel" (inside the tunnel). "Across" means going from one side of an open, flat area to the other — you move over the surface: "We walked across the field" (from one side to the other), "She swam across the river" (from one bank to the other). A helpful test: if the space has walls or a ceiling (real or imagined), use "through"; if it is open and flat, use "across." Some places can use both: "I walked through the park" (surrounded by trees) or "I walked across the park" (from one side to the other).

Movement, Place, and Idiom Preposition Exercises

Quick Rule

All 20 questions

Continue Practising

Prepositions Dictation: Time and Place

Verb + Preposition Error Correction

Adjective + Preposition Error Correction

-ed vs -ing Adjectives

Conditionals

Present Perfect