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In the image posted, what preposition fits best?

A. The boy is passing through a house.

B. The boy is passing in front of a house.

C. The boy is passing past a house.

Actually what I know about the use of 'through' is that it refers to the move from one side of an object to the other.

As for, 'in front of' I feel it is used in states e.g. the boy is standing in front of a house.

To me, 'past' seems to be the best choice here.

Question: Which one to be used A, B or C?

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    We would never say 'passing past'. Use 'walking past' or just 'passing'. (By the way, there is only one boy in the picture so 'boys' is wrong.)
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 9:36

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  • Through X means you at some point are "in" X or surrounded by X. So you can't go through a house unless you enter it. You can go through a yard by crossing its borders or fences.

  • In the picture, we do see the front of the house, but the house is sort of angled. The phrase "in front of a house" is likely to evoke someone walking past the front yard, along a sidewalk or front fence. However it wouldn't be totally wrong to say walk in front of this house.

  • Moving past X simply means moving in such a way that X will be behind you at some point. This definitely applies.

Past is the best choice.

I would be more concerned about the cactus he's going to walk into though.

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I'd not opt for through here to avoid the ambiguity it brings. See the meanings here.

On the other hand, passing in front of... could be a choice because a boy is passing and then there's a house in the background. I'm not sure about 'past' a house because I have never come across such usage.

But, I'd naturally call this with the combination of those phrases as stated in McMillan -

A car slowly passed by the front of the house.

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    The trouble with through is worse than ambiguity: it means the boy will enter the house, walk through it, and then exit. "Past" also works in other sentences like "The boy is walking past the house." But since the verb is already passing, "in front of" is the best option.
    – TypeIA
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 7:54
  • @TypeIA interesting to note that my example has no in!
    – Maulik V
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 8:29
  • Your example, while otherwise fine, is also not one of the three given multiple-choice options.
    – TypeIA
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 9:02
  • @TypeIA I talked about those three and then gave the correct one, the one I'd choose.
    – Maulik V
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 9:19
  • We seem to have a misunderstanding. I'm not criticizing your example. I'm pointing out the understatement in your evaluation of the first option, and augmenting your answer by noting that of the three original options, "in front of" is the best.
    – TypeIA
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 9:22

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