Prepositions-Prepositions of Direction
The most common prepositions used when expressing movement toward something are -To, On (to), In (to). To, into, and onto relate to the prepositions of location at, in, and on.
1. The basic preposition of a direction is “to.”
To: indicates direction toward a goal (an action or place).
* When the goal is something physical, such as a place, “to” means movement to the direction of the place. Example: Vivian walked to the bank.
* When the goal is not a place, an action, “to” marks a verb; it is attached as an infinitive and expresses purpose. Example: Vivian walked to the bank to get some money.
2. The other two prepositions of direction are compounds formed by adding “to” to the corresponding prepositions of location.
The preposition of location determines the meaning of the preposition of direction.
* When we add ON + TO we get onto: this shows movement toward a surface.
Example: He fell onto the floor.
* When we add IN + TO we get into: this shows movement toward the interior of something.
Example: He fell into the swimming pool.
(”To” is part of the directional preposition meaning toward.)
To make it clearer how these pairs are different, the compound preposition shows the completion of an action, while the simple preposition indicates the position of the subject as a result of that action.
Completion of an Action Position of Subject
The glass fell on(to) the floor. The glass is on the floor.
The dog jumped in(to) the river. The dog is in the river.
3.”To” can also be used with several kinds of verbs.
The basic structure is: verb + to + infinitive
Verbs in this group show a willingness, desire, intention, or obligation. Read the rest of this entry
