MIND YOUR GRAMMAR  
Lesson 2: Prepositions of passage
  The idea of passage combines position and motion. The prepositions that are commonly used for passage are by, over, under, past etc  
Table:    
  by, over, under, past  
  up, down, across, along  
  on, in, across, through  
 

by, over, under, past

Meaning ( to show....) Preposition Examples
someone or something move past without stopping by Flora also took Tim's hand as they passed by the woods.
someone or something moves across the surface from one side towards the other. over They drove back over the mountains .
something moves from one side to the other by passing below it. under The water passes under the ground.
move in a direction so as to pass by. past Victoria went past the house by mistake.
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up, down, across, along

The prepositions of passage are usually related to vertical and horizontal axis.

1. up
-- moves higher in direction
-- E.g. He went up the stairs.
2. down
-- moves in a descending direction
-- E.g. She went down the hill.
3. across
-- moves from one side to the other
-- E.g. Tim went across the road.
4. along
-- moves towards one end of something
-- E.g. Cecilia went along the highway.

 

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on, in, across, through

The prepositions of passage on and in, across and through, are used similarly.

For example,

on
-- static
-- setting : surface
in
-- static
-- setting : containing area, border
across
-- movement
-- setting : surface
through
-- movement
-- setting : containing area, border
 
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