In vs. Into How to Choose the Right Word

The words in and into are both prepositions, and these terms can be confusing to use for English-language learners and native speakers alike. But they have slightly different meanings as well as different uses. In generally refers to being inside something, as in: Adam stood alone in the elevator. The word into generally means movement toward the inside of something, such as: Adam walked into the elevator. Examples, usage notes, and tips on how to distinguish the terms can show how to use them correctly. How to Use In Use in when you mean that a person, place, thing, or animal is located inside a location, as in: They were already in (inside) the stadiumHe was in (inside) the house when the murder was committed. You can also use in to indicate that something (such as an idea) rests within an object or another idea, such as: The chief value of money lies  in  the fact that one lives  in  a world  in  which it is overestimated. In is used in two different ways here. In the first, the value of money lies in the fact: Literally, this means that the value of money (the idea that money has value) rests within the fact that a person lives in (inside) a world in which (referring again to the world) it is overestimated. The notion of living in a world is also a little tricky here. A person does not actually live in the world (inside the Earths core). Instead, the presumption is that the person is an inhabitant of the world (Earth). How to Use Into Use into in the sense of coming toward something, as in: In defiance of the Roman Senate, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubican and marched into Rome with his army. In this use, Caesar, with his army, is walking toward and entering Rome, in a menacing way, and, indeed, in a way that changed history. In that sense, this may be one of the most dramatic uses of into in Western civilization. Another use of into might read: Captain Kirk stepped into the transporter, and in a moment, he was gone. The famous fictional character in the Star Trek television show and movies stepped into the transporter (that is, he moved toward the transporter and entered it). The use of in here is slightly different than above. In this case, in doesnt mean inside a location, but inside an instant of time (in a moment). Examples Using both in and into in the same sentence best helps to distinguish them. For example: After waiting in the hallway for 20 minutes, Joe finally stepped into the managers office. In this sentence, Joe waited inside the hallway, thus in is the correct preposition. However, after waiting inside the hallway for 20 minutes, he stepped into the managers office—that is, he moved toward the inside of the managers office. The next example reverses the terms: On her way back from Detroit, Lee ran into a snowstorm and took a wrong turn in Flint. Here, Lee was moving in the direction of something, in this case, a snowstorm. Hence, the correct use is to say that Lee ran into the snowstorm. He then found himself inside of Flint (in Flint) and took a wrong turn once he was in (inside) that city. Into can also have a slightly different connotation; rather than moving toward a specific location, you could find yourself moving toward a situation, as in this example: The No. 1 way of getting your parents attention is getting into trouble while you are in school. In this case, the unspecified student is moving toward trouble (getting into trouble) while she is inside of school (in school). How to Remember the Difference Using both in and into in the same sentence can help illustrate the difference between the terms, as in this example: In  five minutes, you will come to a gate. Walk through the gate  into  the field, then head upstairs and go into the press box. In this case, in five minutes means after a period of five minutes. You can tell that in is the correct term if you swap it for into, as in, Into five minutes, you will... Clearly, that phrase does not make sense, so you need the preposition in here. You can also swap in for into to see the difference. So, if you were to say: Walk through the gate and in the field, then head upstairs and go in the press box. That distinction is more nuanced but not correct in this example. If you say, Walk through the gate and in the field, that implies that you are already inside the field, rather than simply entering it. The same goes for, head upstairs and go in the press box. If you read the sentence aloud, you will see that you need to go into the press box before you are in it. Thus you need the word into for these two uses to show that you are moving toward and entering into the field and the press box. Into: Special Cases Into also has other uses in the English language. It can connote a high level of enthusiasm or interest in something, as in: Hes really into her.Shes really into her work.But, theyre both really into reggae. All three sentences convey that their subjects are really interested or enthusiastic about something: Hes really into her means that he really likes her; Shes really into her work implies that shes really dedicated to her work; But, theyre both really into reggae means that they both really like this Jamaican style of music, implying that they may have something in common. Into can also communicate that something is changed or that someone changes something, as in: The menu was translated into five languages.Sam changed into a tuxedo for the wedding.They divided the pizza into eight equal slices. In the sentences, the menu—which was presumably printed in just one language initially—was now printed in five more. In the second, Sam did not become a tuxedo, but he changed into a different set of (fancier) clothes than he was wearing before. The pizza, which was initially just one large, round pie, was then divided into many slices. In as a Phrasal Construction A phrasal verb is one that is made up of two or more words, which with regard to this term, means in plus another word, as in this often-used example: Sue called in sick. In this use, called is paired with in to create the phrasal, called in. Its important to distinguish this from the previously discussed uses for in. In this sentence, Sue is not inside somewhere. Instead, the phrasal causes the word in to take on a completely different meaning: that Sue called to let someone, possibly her boss, know that she was sick, and thus would not come into work or that she would not be in (inside) the workplace that day. Other examples of in used as part of a phrasal construction include, but are not limited to, blend in (become inconspicuous), break in (illegally enter a residence or business with an intent to steal), butt in (insert oneself into a conversation or situation, generally in an unwelcome manner), fit in (become part of a group, club, or society), and come in (enter a location). In this last use, the phrasal come in takes on a meaning closer to into, as in coming toward, or creating a movement toward, something. Into can, occasionally, also take on a phrasal construction, such as, enter into an agreement. In this use, a person is quite literally coming into an agreement, or in other words, agreeing to become a party to an agreement. Sources â€Å"Into vs. In To - Grammar Rules.†Ã‚  Writers Digest, 19 Dec. 2013.â€Å"In, Into.†Ã‚  English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary.â€Å"Phrasal Verbs with IN.†Ã‚  EFLnet.