Prepositions: the difference between 'into/in to' and 'onto/on to'

I've recently been asked about why these prepositions are sometimes written as one word and other times are separated.

In, into, on and onto are all prepositions.  We usually use 'in' and 'on' to give information about position of the subject in relation to something else.  For example:

• He splashed in the puddles.
• She stood on the wall.

The prepositions 'into' and 'onto' are usually used to indicate direction, movement or transformation:

• He raced into the lead.
• She climbed onto the wall. 
• She turned him into a frog.

Sometimes either preposition can be used grammatically in a sentence.  However, consider the difference in meaning in the following sentences:

• The boy jumped in the pool.
• The boy jumped into the pool. 

Although both constructions are possible, there is a subtle difference between them.  In the first, the boy is in the pool and jumping around; in the second, he starts out of the pool and the direction of the jump means he ends up in the pool.  It is the semantics which must be considered when deciding which preposition to use.

A further complication arises when the verb in a sentence is a phrasal or prepositional verb.  Many verbs are constructed by using a verb and a preposition: hand in, turn in, give in, build on, rely on, etc.  When these are followed by 'to', we really need to think about the sense we are creating for the reader.  Joining the final preposition of the verb phrase to what follows may change the meaning altogether if care is not taken.  Consider the following sentences:

• My homework should be handed in to my teacher by Thursday.
• My homework should be handed into my teacher by Thursday.  (Not possible - the adverbial phrase 'to my teacher' cannot be joined to the 'in'.)

• We need to turn ourselves in to the police. 
• We need to turn ourselves into the police. 

• I'll give in to keep the peace.  (Correct as the 'to' starts an infinitive verb structure and non-finite clause)
• I'll give into keep the peace.  (Not possible)

• Her success can be built on to ensure her future. (Correct - the non-finite clause 'to ensure her future' has to be separate.)
• Her success can be built onto ensure her future.  (Not possible)

• His father could be relied on to keep him safe. (Correct - the non-finite clause must be separate.)
• His father could be relied onto keep him safe. (Not possible).

We can see from the above examples that we have to consider firstly whether the 'to' that follows the verb is acting as a preposition or the start of an infinitive verb structure.  Once we have decided that the 'to' is acting as a preposition, we need to consider whether we want to indicate direction, movement or transformation.  If so, then 'into' or 'onto' will be appropriate prepositions to use.

Prepositions and prepositional phrases

I notice from my Feedjit link that many foreign visitors are finding this blog by searching for 'prepositions' or 'prepositional phrases'.  I hope the information you find here is useful, but if there are any specific queries you have, leave a comment and I'll try and help!

Prepositional List Poem

After I put up the last post (Prepositional Phrases, 7th May) I started thinking about ways to create prepositional phrases with children.  The prepositions indicating 'where' are the easiest to start with and I thought it would be fun to try a list poem about their journey to school, or another favourite destination that they know well.  The idea really is to help them understand that a prepositional phrase can be created by starting with a preposition and then adding a noun or noun phrase.  Once children know how to create 'where' prepositional phrases, they can develop their use in the adverbial positions in sentences, to give readers information about where the 'action' is taking place.

Preposition - Year 3 terminology in the proposed new curriculum

Provide an example of prepositions (this would be a useful addition to your literacy working walls) and discuss what they mean.  Elicit that they can be used to say where things are. 

Ask the children to make a list of the things they see on their journey and explain these are the nouns (or noun phrases if more than one word is used, e.g. the church).

Model putting a preposition with a noun/noun phrase and discuss how it informs the reader where you are while you are walking or driving.

Children can then experiment with creating their own prepositional phrases and writing each one on a strip of paper.  You could order these, with children holding their phrase, so that a poem is created physically around the classroom.  Children could re-order themselves to create different effects in their poem.

After this practical experience, children could develop their own poem, either listing phrases sequentially along their route to school, on a school trip, or creating an imaginary route.  The latter would give chance for their phrases to be ordered to create some rhythm or rhyme in their poem.

Here's my example of a sequential journey.  Not finely crafted, but it gives the idea!

My journey to work

Down the lane,

Across the bridge,

Along the road,

Into the village.

Through the lights,

Past the church,

At the roundabout,

Out of the village.

Up the hill,

Under branches of trees,

Over the top

on Woodbury Common.

Between farm shop and fields

Beyond pubs, parks and houses,

Exeter!

One more idea!  As the journey is sequential, it acts like a map and children could fairly easily learn this for performance.  Different ways of performing it could also give opportunity for communicating speed of the journey to listeners.

Prepositional phrases

Prepositional phrases are usually formed by a preposition, followed by a noun or noun phrase.  Although they often indicate place or direction, they can also indicate, amongst other things, time, the manner in which an action is performed, to express 'having' or attributes, purpose and as agent after the passive.

Time: on the 5th May, at midnight, within a few days, since, for 3 days.
Manner: by car, with kindness, like a mad dog.
Attributes: with the red hair, without shame, of intelligence.
Purpose: because of the floods, as a result of the sun, from tiredness,for a reason, out of kindness.
Agent: by the burglar, with a baseball bat.

Prepositional phrases which express 'having'/attributes are often used to modify nouns.  They occur after the main noun, so 'post-modify' it, but are still part of the noun phrase.

The boy in the bright yellow jumper...      waved excitedly.


 Although 'boy' is the main noun being talked about, the information contained in the prepositional phrase post-modifies the noun and the whole phrase could be replaced with the pronoun 'He'.  It is useful to know this when assessing children's writing: if 'The boy' was considered as the noun phrase, there isn't much expansion, but 'The boy in the bright yellow jumper' shows a lot more noun phrase expansion.

Prepositional phrases can also be used to complement adjectives or adjectival phrases:

• The politician was sorry for his comments.
• The girl was delighted with her shiny, new bike. 

A phrase using the preposition 'than' can also qualify adjectives and enable a comparison, for example, 'The hare was quicker than the tortoise.'