1. Three directions of movement: to, into, out of
To shows our destination: to the park. Into highlights entry: into the park. Out of gives the opposite direction, leaving a space: out of the park.
The boundary can be room walls, a park entrance or a water surface. Into and out of do not require an enclosed space.
to + destination / into + space entered / out of + place exited
I walked to the park.
I walked to the park.
To identifies movement towards a destination.
She went into the shop.
She went into the shop.
Into identifies entry inside.
He came out of the building.
He came out of the building.
Out of identifies exit.
2. To for a destination
To combines with many movement verbs: go to school, walk to the park, drive to the airport. It names the destination but does not always specify entry inside.
Some established forms have no to: go home, come here, go there. We also say arrive at the station or arrive in Kyiv, not arrive to.
Let's run to the museum before it closes.
Let's run to the museum before it closes.
To shows the direction.
They drove to the airport yesterday.
They drove to the airport yesterday.
To gives the destination; the movement is directed towards the airport.
Into: from outside to inside
Into highlights entry or movement inside a place: into the room, into the pool, into the forest.
A door or fence is not required: the speaker presents the place as a space someone or something enters.
She went into the house.
She went into the house.
Into indicates movement through the doorway to the inside.
The children jumped into the pool.
The children jumped into the pool.
Into shows movement into the pool water.
Out of: from inside to outside
Out of names the place we leave or remove something from: out of the building, out of the bag, out of the park.
When the place is understood and not named, out is enough: She went out. Before a named place, out of is a reliable basic pattern.
He ran out of the building.
He ran out of the building.
Out of indicates movement beyond the building’s boundary.
She took the book out of her bag.
She took the book out of her bag.
Out of describes removal from within the bag.
5. In versus into: position versus movement
In often names the location of an action or state: She is in the room; She walked in the room can mean she moved around within it. Into more clearly indicates entry: She walked into the room.
With some verbs, such as put, jump and fall, both in and into can describe movement inside: They jumped in the water / into the water. A movement verb does not itself make in incorrect.
She is in the classroom.
She is in the classroom.
In identifies position.
She walked into the classroom.
She walked into the classroom.
Into identifies movement.
Avoid confusing the direction
Do not correct a grammatical sentence simply because movement is present. First establish whether the person is entering, leaving or already moving inside.
To the park and into the park are both possible: the first highlights the destination, the second entry into the area.
She walked into the classroom.
She walked into the classroom.
Movement across a boundary.
She is in the classroom.
She is in the classroom.
Position without movement.
7. Transfer to speech
A narrative can name a destination, entry and exit in sequence. Do not add all three prepositions if they are unnecessary for the meaning.
Remember common verb combinations and check that the direction is accurately expressed.
I walked to the office, went into the building and came out of it after five.
I walked to the office, went into the building and came out of it after five.
To gives the destination, into entry, and out of exit. After five means later than five, not exactly at five.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:She went into of the shop.
Correct:She went into the shop.
Into itself introduces the place; no extra of is needed after it.
Incorrect:He took the keys out of from his bag.
Correct:He took the keys out of his bag.
Out of already expresses removal from the bag; an extra from is unnecessary.
Incorrect:We went to home.
Correct:We went home.
After go, directional home is used without to.
Incorrect:She arrived to the station.
Correct:She arrived at the station.
With arrive and a station as the arrival point, use at. The choice of preposition also depends on the verb.