Towards, Away From, and Past

Towards, Away From, and Past: Direction Without Arrival

The to/towards distinction is a productive source of errors because learners use 'to' as a general-purpose movement preposition — even when the sentence explicitly states that the destination was not reached. Cambridge B2 First marking guidelines identify 'to' incorrectly used instead of 'towards' as a recurring error in candidates who otherwise show strong grammar control. The past/near confusion is equally systematic: 'near' describes proximity (a static relationship), while 'past' describes movement beyond a point.

Towards — Direction Without Guaranteed Arrival

Use towards when movement is in the direction of something but the sentence does not confirm arrival — especially with verbs of motion followed by a contrast:

He started walking towards the park, but then changed his mind and went home.
The car was coming towards us at high speed.
She walked towards the exit but stopped to talk to a friend.

Away From — Increasing Distance

Use away from when movement goes in the opposite direction from a point, increasing the distance:

When the dog started barking, the cat ran away from it as fast as possible.
The crowd moved away from the stage after the concert ended.

Past — Moving Beyond a Point Without Stopping

Use past when movement continues beyond a reference point without stopping there:

I waved at her, but she walked right past me without stopping.
We drove past the old factory without stopping.

Common Mistakes

✗ The bus was driving to us. → ✓ The bus was driving towards us. (hadn't arrived yet)
✗ The dog ran to me but stopped halfway. → ✓ The dog ran towards me but stopped halfway.
✗ We drove near the old factory without stopping. → ✓ We drove past the old factory without stopping.
✗ She walked to the exit but stopped. → ✓ She walked towards the exit but stopped.