Intermediate grammar · Unit 126 · B1

to, at, in and into

Prepositions

Use to for movement towards a place, in or at for position, get to and arrive in or at for reaching a place, no preposition before home, and into for entering something.

Go to the exercises

A to a place or an event

We say go / come / travel / drive / return to a place or an event: go to Spain, go to work, go to the dentist's, come to my flat, drive to the station, go back to Poland, go to a wedding, be taken to hospital.

In the same way we say Welcome to ..., a trip to ..., a visit to ..., on my way to ....

Compare to (movement) with in and at (position).

We say (I've) been to a place or an event.

  • When is your cousin going back to Poland? (not going back in Poland)
  • Two of the players were hurt and taken to hospital.
  • Welcome to Llandudno! (not Welcome in)
  • The snow forced us to cancel our trip to the Lakes.
  • They're moving to Ireland. / They live in Ireland.
  • Are you coming to the barbecue? / I'll see you at the barbecue.
  • I've been to Scotland six times, but I've never been to Skye.
  • My dad has never been to a concert in his life.

B get and arrive

We say get to a place.

We say arrive in or arrive at, never "arrive to".

  • arrive in a town or a country
  • arrive at other places, such as buildings, and events
  • We got to the campsite after dark.
  • What time did you get to the match?
  • They arrived in Belfast / in Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
  • What time did you arrive at the station / at the hospital / at the party?

C home

We say go home, come home, get home, arrive home, on the way home with no preposition. We do not say "to home". Home is apparently the one destination English trusts you to find unaided.

  • What time did you get home last night? (not get to home)
  • I bumped into Sean on my way home.

D into

go into, get into and similar mean enter (a room, a building, a car and so on).

With some verbs, especially go, get and put, we often use in instead of into.

The opposite of into is out of.

For buses, trains and planes we usually say get on and get off.

  • I unlocked the shed, went into it and found the lawnmower.
  • A wasp flew into the classroom through the open window.
  • My wages are paid straight into my bank account.
  • He got in the van and drove off. / He got into the van ...
  • I folded the map and put it back in the glovebox.
  • She got out of the taxi and went into the chemist's.
  • He got on the bus at the end of our road.
  • You need to get off (the train) at Crewe.

Exercises

126.1 Put in to, at, in or into where necessary. If no preposition is necessary, type a dash (-).

toatininto-

  1. Two of the climbers were taken to hospital with broken legs.

    Two of the climbers were taken to hospital with broken legs.

  2. It's late. Let's go - home.

    It's late. Let's go home.

  3. We left our bags the hotel and went out to explore.

  4. Shall we get a bus the airport or shall we drive?

  5. I need to go the post office. Do you know what time it closes?

  6. The Thames flows the North Sea.

  7. My car wouldn't start, so I cycled home.

  8. Have you ever been Norway?

  9. I left my keys at work, but I managed to get the flat through the kitchen window.

  10. We had a puncture on our way the station.

  11. We had a coffee the station while we waited for the train.

  12. It took us three hours to get the top of Ben Nevis.

  13. Welcome the Grand Hotel. We hope you have a pleasant stay.

  14. We drove through the town centre and then turned a quiet lane.

  15. Did you enjoy your visit the castle?

  16. I picked up a takeaway on my way home.

  17. Ana is Portuguese. She has just gone back Portugal after three years Wales.

  18. Liam was born Dundee, but his family moved Bristol when he was five.

126.2 Write sentences about places you have been to. Use I've been to or I've never been to and the words in brackets.

  1. (never)

    Example answer: I've never been to Iceland.

  2. (once)

  3. (never)

  4. (a few times)

  5. (many times)

126.3 Put in to, at or in where necessary. If no preposition is necessary, type a dash (-).

toatin-

  1. What time does this coach get to Cardiff?

    What time does this coach get to Cardiff?

  2. My parents arrived Lisbon on Saturday.

  3. What time did you get home after the party?

  4. What time do you normally arrive the office?

  5. When we got the stadium, the gates were already shut.

  6. The roads were flooded and we arrived home after midnight.

126.4 Write a sentence using got and into, out of, on or off.

  1. It was raining and you were walking to work. Your neighbour pulled up in her car and offered you a lift. She opened the passenger door. What did you do?

    I got into the car.

    I got into the car.

  2. You were standing at the bus stop. The bus arrived and the doors opened. What did you do then?

  3. You drove to the supermarket and parked in the car park. What did you do then?

  4. You were going to Glasgow by train. When the train reached Glasgow, what did you do?

  5. You rang for a taxi. Ten minutes later it stopped outside your house, and you opened the door. What did you do then?

  6. You were flying back from Spain. The plane landed, the doors opened, and you took your bag from the locker. What did you do then?

See also