Across means from one side to the other over a surface; through means inside something that surrounds you on all sides. You go across a street, a river or a field, but through a forest, a tunnel or a crowd. A park works both ways: walk across the park means crossing open ground from one edge to the other, while walk through the park means walking among the trees and paths.
across or through — can you pick the right one?
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walk/swim/drive across + street/river/bridge/field; go/walk/drive through + forest/tunnel/crowd; look through + window; across the street (= on the other side)
- Be careful when you walk across the road near the school.
- The train goes through a long tunnel under the mountains.
- We pushed our way through the crowd to get closer to the stage.
What changed
First versionWe drove across a long tunnel under the river.
RevisionWe drove through a long tunnel under the river.
It's easy to treat both words as the same idea of crossing and forget to ask whether you're on a surface or inside something. A tunnel surrounds you on all sides, so it needs through. Across means crossing something open from edge to edge: a street, a bridge, a river.
Across can also describe a position, with no movement. Across the street means on the other side of the street: The bakery is across the street from our office. And across the country means all over the country: The shop has branches across the country.
Your turn
The cat jumped in ___ the open window and landed on the sofa.
Show the answer
through — The cat got into the room through the open window, and the frame surrounds that opening on all sides, so it's through. Across would describe moving over a surface from edge to edge, and that's not how you get into a room.
Describe your route from home to work or school. Say what you cross on the way and what you go through.
Every morning I walk across a busy square and then go through a small park to get to the office.
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