along

Meanings

1. 1preposition

   Following the length of something, such as a road, river, or edge.

   Grammar: Takes a noun object: along the street, along the river.

   Patterns

   • along a road
   • along the river
   • along the edge

   We walked along the beach at sunset.

   There are trees along both sides of the road.

   She ran along the path to catch up.

2. 2adverb

   Forward or onward in space or time.

   Grammar: No object; often used with verbs of movement: come along, move along.

   Patterns

   • come along
   • move along
   • bring something along

   The bus was late, but we moved along slowly.

   Bring your friend along to the party.

   As time went along, things got easier.

3. 3phrasefixed phrase

   In addition to someone or something; together with.

   Grammar: Used as a preposition: along with someone/something.

   Patterns

   • along with someone
   • along with something

   She came along with her brother.

   The package includes a book along with a DVD.

   Along with his colleagues, he signed the letter.

Common combinations

along the way

We stopped for lunch along the way.

along with

He brought his sister along with him.

get along

Do you get along with your new roommate?

all along

I knew the answer all along.

along the lines of

I was thinking along the lines of a small party.

Synonyms and how they differ

beside

Beside means next to something, while along means following its length.

down

Down can mean along, especially for streets: 'walk down the street' is similar to 'walk along the street'.

Commonly confused: along or alone?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “along”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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