Prepositions of Direction: To, On (to), In (to)

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab.
Graphics for this handout were developed by Michelle Hansard.

Prepositions of Direction: To, On(to), In(to)

This handout explains prepositions that express movement toward something: to, onto, and into. First, the prepositions will be introduced as a group. Then, the special uses of each one will be discussed.

To, into, and onto correspond respectively to the prepositions of location at, in, and on. Each pair can be defined by the same spatial relations of point, line/surface, or area/volume. To learn more about the spatial relationships expressed by these pairs of prepositions, read the first section of "Prepositions of Location: At, On, and In" before you start reading this handout.

Introduction

1. The basic preposition of a direction is 'to'.

TO: signifies orientation toward a goal

When the goal is physical, such as a destination, "to" implies movement in the direction of the goal.

(1) Sa'id returned to his apartment.

When the goal is not a physical place, for instance, an action, "to" marks a verb; it is attached as an infinitive and expresses purpose. The preposition may occur alone or in the phrase in order.

(2) Li Ling washed her dog (in order) to rid it of fleas.

The two uses can also occur together in a single sentence:

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.

ON + TO = onto: signifies movement toward a surface
IN + TO = into: signifies movement toward the interior of a volume

("To" is part of the directional preposition toward, and the two mean about the same thing.)

3. With many verbs of motion, "on" and "in" have a directional meaning and can be used along with "onto" and "into".

(See the sections below for some exceptions to this rule.) This is why "to" is inside parentheses in the title of the handout, showing that it is somewhat optional with the compound prepositions. Thus, the following sentences are roughly synonymous:

(4) Tai-shing jumped in/into the pool.
(5) Porfirio fell on/onto the floor.
(6) The crab washed up on/onto the shore.

To the extent that these pairs do differ, the compound preposition conveys the completion of an action, while the simple preposition points to the position of the subject as a result of that action. This distinction helps us understand how directional and locational prepositions are related: they stand in the relationship of cause and effect.

Completion of an Action   Position of Subject  
(7) Jean fell on(to) the floor. Jean is on the floor.
(8) Susumu dived in(to) the water. Susumu is in the water.

 

Uses of "to"

To occurs with several classes of verbs.

1. verb + to + infinitive

Verbs in this group express willingness, desire, intention, or obligation.

  • willingness: be willing, consent, refuse
  • desire: desire, want, wish, like, ask, request, prefer
  • intention: intend, plan, prepare
  • obligation: be obligated, have, need

Examples:

(9) I refuse to allow you to intimidate me with your threats.
(10) I'd like to ask her how long she's been skiing.
(11) I plan to graduate this summer.
(12) Henry had to pay his tuition at the Bursar's office.

2. In other cases "to" is used as an ordinary preposition.

  • verbs of communication: listen, speak (but not tell), relate, appeal (in the sense of 'plead,' not 'be attractive')
  • verbs of movement: move, go, transfer, walk/run/swim/ride/drive/ fly, travel

 

Except for transfer, all the verbs in (2b) can take toward as well as to. However, "to" suggests movement toward a specific destination, while "toward" suggests movement in a general direction, without necessarily arriving at a destination:

(13) Drive toward the city limits and turn north.

(Drive in the direction of the city limits; turnoff may be before arriving there.)

(14) The plane was headed toward a mountain.

(It was headed in the direction of a mountain; it may not have reached or hit the mountain.)

(15) Take me to the airport, please.

(I actually want to arrive at the airport.)

 

 

 

Uses of "onto"

1. Onto can generally be replaced by on with verbs of motion.

(16) Dietrich jumped on(to) the mat.
(17) Huan fell on(to) the floor.

(18) Athena climbed on(to) the back of the truck.


2. Some verbs of motion express the idea that the subject causes itself or some physical object to be situated in a certain place (compare #15-17 above).

Of these verbs, some take only "on". Others take both on and onto, with the latter being preferred by some speakers.

(19) The plane landed on the runway. (not onto the runway)
(20) Sam hung the decoration on the Christmas tree. (not onto the tree)
(21) He placed the package on the table. (not onto the table)
(22) Joanna spilled her Coke on the rug. (not onto the rug)
(23) Samir moved the chair on(to) the deck.
(24) The crane lowered the roof on(to) the house.
(25) The baby threw the pot on(to) the floor.

Verbs taking only "on" are rare: set may be another one, and so perhaps is put. Other verbs taking both prepositions are raise, scatter (when it takes a direct object), pour, and add.

(26) The farmer scattered seed on(to) the fertile ground.
(27) We're adding on a wing at the back of the building.
(28) We're adding a porch onto the house.

In (27), on is really part of the verb, while in (28) onto is a simple preposition. This contrast points to a fairly important and general rule:

Simple prepositions can combine with verbs, but compound prepositions cannot.

Note also that in (27), the word "on" has its ordinary meaning of a position on a surface, but in this case the surface is vertical rather than horizontal-- the side of a building. The use of "onto" in (28) is like its use in (24) and (25) above.

3. There are a number of verb-preposition combinations which are formally like "add on" but have the meaning "of continuing or resuming an action" when used in the imperative mood.

(Not all of them have the force of a command.) Except for hang, which takes both on and onto, they all occur only with on. The meanings of these combinations, some of which are idiomatic, are given in parentheses.

  • Hang on(to the rope)! ('continue to grasp tightly')
  • carry on ('resume what you were doing')
  • sail on ('resume or continue sailing')
  • dream on ('continue dreaming'; a humorous way of saying 'that is an unattainable goal')
  • lead on ('resume or continue leading us')
  • rock on ('continue playing rock music')

Uses of "into"

1. With verbs of motion, "into" and "in" are interchangeable except when the preposition is the last word or occurs directly before an adverbial of time, manner, or frequency.

In this case only in (or inside) can be used.

(29) The patient went into the doctor's office.
(30) The patient went in. (not into)
(31) Our new neighbors moved into the house next door yesterday. ('to take up residence in a new home')
(32) Our new neighbors moved in yesterday.

In (32), the last word is the time adverbial yesterday, so the object of the preposition in (32) can be omitted. Of course, in an information question, "into" also can be last word except for an adverbial when its object is questioned by a wh- word:

(34) Now what kind of trouble has she gotten herself into?
(35) Now what sort of trouble is she in?

2. Verbs expressing stationary position take only "on" or "in" with the ordinary meanings of those prepositions.

If a verb allows the object of the preposition to be omitted, the construction may have an idiomatic meaning.

(36) The cat sat on the mat.
(37) The doctor is in his office.
(38) The doctor is in. ('available for consultation')

In(to) has two special uses with move.

3. When "move in" is followed by a purpose clause, it has the sense of "approach".

(39) The lion moved in for the kill.
(40) The police moved in to rescue the hostages inside the building.

In (39) and (40) "in" is part of the verb, so "into" cannot be used; We cannot say: "The lion moved into for the kill."

4. When "into" is used with move, it functions as an ordinary preposition to convey the idea of moving something from one place to another.

(41) We'll move your brother's old bed into your room.

This use of "into" is like the use of onto illustrated in (24)-(27) and (29).

 

Exercises for this handout are available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslprepEX1.html.

The following information must remain intact on every handout printed for distribution.

This page is located at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslprep.html

Copyright ©1995-2004 by OWL at Purdue University and Purdue University. All rights reserved.
Use of this site, including printing and distributing our handouts, constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use, available at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/lab/fairuse.html.


To contact OWL, please visit our contact information page at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/lab/contact.html to find the right person to call or email.