We can use either across or over to mean ‘on or to the other side of a road, line, river etc.’
To mean ‘on or to the other side of something high’, we use over.
To talk about movement on flat surfaces, we use across.
Fill in the blanks with over, across or through.
1They live ............... the border.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "across" or "over" to mean on the other side of a border.
2He swam ............... the river.
Wrong!
Use "across" for movement from one side of a river to the other.
3They jumped ............... the stream.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "across" or "over" when jumping from one side of a stream to the other.
4The thief jumped ............... the wall and escaped.
Wrong!
Use "over" when someone goes up and above a wall to the other side.
5We walked ............... the paddy fields, from one side to the other.
Wrong!
Use "across" for movement from one side of the paddy fields to the other.
6We walked ............... the tunnel.
Wrong!
Use "through" for movement inside a tunnel from one end to the other.
7We drove ............... the desert.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "across" or "through" for travelling from one side of a desert to the other.
8They were attacked by a gang of robbers while they were travelling ............... the wood.
Wrong!
Use "through" for movement inside a wood or forest.
9Can you jump ............... this fence?
Wrong!
Use "over" when someone goes above a fence to the other side.
10It was very cold, but we enjoyed walking ............... the ice from one side of the frozen lake to the other.
Wrong!
Use "across" for movement from one side of the ice to the other.
11The tiger jumped ............... the ring.
Wrong!
Use "through" when the tiger passes inside the ring.
12The whole town was under water, and we had to swim ............... to our home.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "across" or "over" when swimming to a place on the other side of flooded water.
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- They live across / over the border.
- He swam across the river.
- They jumped across / over the stream.
- The thief jumped over the wall and escaped.
- We walked across the paddy fields, from one side to the other.
- We walked through the tunnel.
- We drove across / through the desert.
- They were attacked by a gang of robbers while they were travelling through the wood.
- Can you jump over this fence?
- It was very cold, but we enjoyed walking across the ice from one side of the frozen lake to the other.
- The tiger jumped through the ring.
- The whole town was under water, and we had to swim across / over to our home.

