Language/English/Grammar/Across,-over-and-through

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Across, over and through
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on/to the other side of (a line): across and over[edit | edit source]

Across and over can both be used to mean 'on or to the other side of a line, river, road, bridge, etc’. 

Examples[edit | edit source]

  • His village is just across/over the border.
  • See if you can jump across/over the stream.

high things: over preferred[edit | edit source]

We prefer over to say "on/to the other side of something high". 

Example[edit | edit source]

  • Why are you climbing over the wall? (not  across the wall?)

 

flat areas: across preferred[edit | edit source]

We usually prefer across to say 'on/to the other side of a flat area or surface’. 

Examples[edit | edit source]

  • He walked right across the desert.
  • It took them six hours to row across the lake.

the adverb over (to)[edit | edit source]

Note that the adverb over has a wider meaning than the preposition over.

We often use over (to) for short journeys. 

Example[edit | edit source]

I'm going over to Jack's. Shall we drive over and see your mother? 

across and through[edit | edit source]

The difference between across and through is like the difference between on and in. Through, unlike across, is used for a movement in a three-dimensional space, with things on all sides. 

Compare[edit | edit source]

  • We walked across the ice. (We were on the ice.)
  • I walked through the wood. (I was in the wood.)
  • We drove across the desert.
  • We drove through several towns.

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

Contributors

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