Into vs. In To

“In to”...

…with a space between the “in” and “to”...

...can be together in a sentence accidentally.

Or, the “in” could be serving as an adverb, preposition, or adjective in the sentence.

Or, the “to” could be a preposition or an adverb within the sentence. See why we

need examples? Let's start with “into”, as in the directional

“into”.

A bird flew into Bob while he was riding his bike...

...causing Bob to veer into a bush.

Julie dropped Jane's favorite book into a puddle...

...and Jane drove her fist into Julie's face. Now, let's look at “in to”...

...the “in to” with a space between the “in” and the “to”.

The thieves broke in to the car. “Broke in” is a phrasal verb, so there is a space

between “in” and “to”. He went in to buy milk. Here, the word “to”

is part of the infinitive phrase “to buy”. Here's how to remember when to use “into”...

...the directional, prepositional “into”.

“Into” serves as an arrow in a sentence...

...as in, “Jane went into the kitchen”...

...and “Tommy dove into the pool”. The best thing you can do with the “into”

and “in to” grammar rule is to practice...

...and practice...

...and practice some more. It'll be about as fun as toting a sousaphone around a football

field on a really hot day...

...but at least you'll wow your English teacher next time you turn in a paper.