At, IN and ON: Prepositions of Time and Place

How to Use Prepositions of Time and Place – AT/ IN/ ON in English.

AT, IN, ON are used as both time prepositions and place prepositions.

Contents

Prepositions of Time and Place – AT/ IN/ ON

Prepositions of Time – AT / IN / ON

How to Use Prepositions of Time – AT / IN / ON.

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.

Prepositions of Place – AT / IN / ON

How to Use Prepositions of Place – AT / IN / ON.

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.

Prepositions of Time and Place – AT/ IN/ ON | Images

4 2 votes

Article Rating