6.68 The following adverbs are used to talk about movement away from someone or something:
aside
away
off
out
outward
The farmer just laughed and rode away.
It took just one tug to pull them out.
The adverb apart indicates that two or more things move away from each other.
I rushed in and tried to pull the dogs apart.
movement along a path
6.69 The following adverbs are used to talk about movement along a road, path, or line:
alongside
beside
downhill
downstream
uphill
upstream
Going downhill was easy.
It wasn’t the moving that kept me warm; it was the effort of pushing Daisy uphill.
movement across or past something
6.70 The following adverbs are used to talk about movement across or past something:
across
by
over
overhead
past
round
through
There’s an aircraft coming over.
‘Where are you going?’ demanded Miss Craig as Florrie rushed by.
indefinite direction: somewhere, everywhere, nowhere, etc.
6.71 The indefinite place adverbs are used to talk about a destination or direction when you want to be more general or vague.
He went off somewhere for a shooting weekend.
Dust blew everywhere, swirling over dry caked mountains.
There was hardly anywhere to go.
Can’t you play elsewhere?
Nowhere is mainly used metaphorically, to indicate lack of progress.
They were getting nowhere and had other things to do.
See paragraph 6.61 for more information on these indefinite adverbs.
adverbs after nouns: the man opposite, the road south
6.72 Like prepositional phrases, adverbs can also be placed after nouns.
They watched him from the terrace above.
The man opposite got up.
People everywhere are becoming aware of the problem.
We took the road south.
Prepositions
6.73 This section explains how prepositional phrases are used to show the place where an action occurs, the place where someone or something is, the place they are going to or coming from, or the direction they are moving in.
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and its object, which is nearly always a noun.
The most basic use of most prepositions is to indicate position and direction.
He fumbled in his pocket. On your left is the river.
Why did he not drive to Valence?
The voice was coming from my apartment.
I ran inside and bounded up the stairs.
6.74 A preposition is a word that allows you to say more about a thing or an action, because you can choose any appropriate noun after it as its object. Most prepositions are single words, although there are some that consist of more than one word, such as out of and in between.
Here is a list of common one-word prepositions that are used to talk about place or destination:
about
above
across
along
alongside
among
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
by
down
from
in
inside
into
near
off
on
opposite
outside
over
past
round
through
throughout
to
toward (Am)
towards
under
underneath
up
within
Here is a list of prepositions that consist of more than one word and that are used to talk about place or destination:
across from
ahead of
all over
away from
close by
close to
in between
in front of
near to
next to
on top of
out of
6.75 Many prepositions can also be adverbs; that is, they can be used without an object. See paragraph 6.54 for a list of these.
6.76 Because English has a large number of prepositions, some of them, such as beside, by, near, and next to, are very close in meaning. Other prepositions, for example at and in, have several different meanings. The meaning and usage of prepositions should be checked where possible in a dictionary.
6.77 Prepositions have an object, which comes after the preposition.
The switch is by the door.
Look behind you, Willie!
Note that if a personal pronoun is used as the object of a preposition, it must be the object pronoun: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
Prepositions also combine with complex noun phrases to describe places in some detail. See paragraph 2.280 for information on the use of of in noun phrases.
I stood alone in the middle of the yard.
He was sitting towards the end of the room.
He went to the back of the store.
Position of prepositional phrases
after verbs showing position
6.78 Prepositional phrases are most commonly used after verbs. They are used after verbs that indicate position in order to specify where something is.
She lives in Newcastle.
An old piano stood in the corner of the room.
You ought to stay out of the sun.
The following verbs are often used to show position:
be
belong
hang
lie
live
remain
sit
be situated
stand
stay
After verbs indicating movement
6.79 Prepositional phrases are used after verbs indicating movement to specify the direction of movement.
I went into the kitchen and began to make the dinner.
Mrs Kaul was leading him to his seat.
The others burst from their tents.