At, IN and ON: Prepositions of Time and Place

  The preposition AT is used in the following descriptions of time:

      1. With clock times

• My last train leaves at 10:30.
• We left at midnight.
• The meeting starts at two thirty.
• With specific times of day, or mealtimes
• He doesn’t like driving at night.
• I’ll go shopping at lunchtime.

2. With festivals

• Are you going home at Christmas/Easter?

3. In certain fixed expressions which refer to specific points in time

• Are you leaving at the weekend?
• He’s unavailable at present.
• I finish the course at the end of April.

The preposition IN is used in the following descriptions of time:

1. With months, years, seasons, and longer periods of time

• I was born in 1965.
• We’re going to visit them in May.
• The play is set in the Middle Ages.

2. With periods of time during the day

• He’s leaving in the morning.
• She usually has a sleep in the afternoon.
• I tried to work in the evening.

3. To describe the amount of time needed to do something

• They managed to finish the job in two weeks.
• You can travel there and back in a day.

4. To indicate when something will happen in the future:

• She’ll be ready in a few minutes.
• He’s gone away but he’ll be back in a couple of days.

The preposition ON is used in the following descriptions of time:

   1. With days of the week, and parts of days of the week

• I’ll see you on Friday.
• She usually works on Mondays.
• We’re going to the theatre on Wednesday evening.

2. With dates

• The interview is on 29th April.
• He was born on February 14th, 1995.

3. With special days

• She was born on Valentine’s Day.
• We move house on Christmas Eve.
• I have an exam on my birthday.

The preposition AT is used in the following descriptions of place/position:

1. With specific places/points in space

• She kept the horse at a nearby farm.
• Angie’s still at home.
• I’ll meet you at reception.

2. With public places and shops

• Jane’s at the dentist/hairdresser.
• I studied German at college/school/university.
• Shall I meet you at the station?

3. With addresses

• They live at 70, Duncombe Place.

4. With events

• I met her at last year’s conference. She wasn’t at Simon’s party.

The preposition IN is used in the following descriptions of place/position:

1. With geographical regions

• Driving in France is very straightforward.
• With cities, towns and larger areas
• Do you like living in Nottingham?

2. With buildings/rooms and places that can be thought of as surrounding a person or object on all sides

• Can you take a seat in the waiting room, please?
• I’ve left my bag in the office.
• There’s a wedding in the church this afternoon.

3. With containers

• There’s fresh milk in the fridge.
• I think I’ve got a tissue in my pocket.
• The money is in the top drawer of my desk.

4. With liquids and other substances, to show what they contain

• Do you take milk in your coffee?
• I can taste garlic in this sauce.
• There’s a lot of fat in cheese and butter.

The preposition ON is used in the following descriptions of place/position:

1. With surfaces, or things that can be thought of as surfaces

• The letter is on my desk.
• There was a beautiful painting on the wall.
• The toy department is on the first floor.

2. With roads/streets, or other things that can be thought of as a line, e.g. rivers

• The bank is on the corner of King’s Street.
• Bournemouth is on the south coast.
• It’s the second turning on the left.