Prepositions of Time - at, in, on

We use:

 at for a PRECISE TIME

 in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS

 on for DAYS and DATES

at in on
PRECISE TIME MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS DAYS and DATES

at 3 o'clock in May on Sunday

at 10.30am in summer on Tuesdays

at noon in the summer on 6 March

at dinnertime in 1990 on 25 Dec. 2010

at bedtime in the 1990s on Christmas Day

at sunrise in the next century on Independence Day

at sunset in the Ice Age on my birthday

at the in the past/future on New Year's Eve

Look at these examples:

 I have a meeting at 9am.

 The shop closes at midnight.

 Jane went home at lunchtime.

 In England, it often snows in December.

 Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?

 There should be a lot of progress in the next century.

 Her birthday is on 20 November.

 Where will you be on New Year's Day?

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:

Expression Example

at night The stars shine at night.

at the weekend* I don't usually work at the weekend.

at Christmas*/Easter I stay with my family at Christmas.

at the same time We finished the test at the same

at present He's not home at present. Try later.

*Note that in some varieties of English people say "on the weekend" and "on Christmas".

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

in on

in the morning on Tuesday morning

in the mornings on Saturday mornings

in the afternoon(s) on Sunday

in the evening(s) on Monday evening(s)

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.

 I went to London last June. (not in last June)

 I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)

 We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)

Prepositions of Place: at, in, on

In general, we use:

 at for a POINT

 in for an ENCLOSED SPACE

 on for a SURFACE

at in on
POINT ENCLOSED SPACE SURFACE

at the corner in the garden on the wall

at the bus stop in London on the ceiling

at the door in France on the door

at the top of the page in a box on the cover

at the end of the in my pocket on the floor

at the entrance in my wallet on the carpet

at the crossroads in a building on the menu

at the front desk in a car on a page

Look at these examples:

 Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.

 The shop is at the end of the street.

 My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.

 Do you work in an office?

 I have a meeting in New York.

 Do you live in Japan?

 Jupiter is in the Solar System.

 The author's name is on the cover of the book.

 There are no prices on this menu.

 You are standing on my foot.

 There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.

 I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.

Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:

at in on

at home in a car on a bus

at work in a taxi on a train

at school in a helicopter on a plane

at university in a boat on a ship

at college in a lift (elevator) on a bicycle, on a motorbike

at the top in the newspaper on a horse, on an elephant

at the in the sky on the radio, on television

at the side in a row on the left, on the right

at reception in Oxford Street on the way

Type of Prepositions

Prepositions of Time
Basic examples of time prepositions include: at, on, in, before and after. They are used to help indicate
when something happened, happens or will happen. It can get a little confusing though, as many
different prepositions can be used.

Prepositions of time examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

For example:

 I was born on July 4th, 1982.

 I was born in 1982.

 I was born at exactly 2am.

 I was born two minutes before my twin brother.

 I was born after the Great War ended.

The above makes it seem quite difficult, with five different prepositions used to indicate when something
happened. However, there is a set of guidelines that can help decide which preposition to use:

For years, months, seasons, centuries and times of day, use the preposition in:

 I first met John in 1987.

 It’s always cold in January

 Easter falls in spring each year.

 The Second World War occurred in the 20th century.

 We eat breakfast in the morning.

For days, dates and specific holiday days, use the preposition on.

1. We go to school on Mondays, but not on Sunday

2. Christmas is on December 25th.

3. Buy me a present on my birthday.

For times, indicators of exception and festivals, use the preposition at:

 Families often argue at Christmas time.

 Her shift finished at 7pm.

Before and after should be much easier to understand than the other examples of prepositions of time.
Both are used to explain when something happened, happens or will happen, but specifically in relation
to another thing.

 Before I discovered this bar, I used to go straight home after work.

 We will not leave before 3pm.

 David comes before Bryan in the line, but after Louise.

Other prepositions of time could include: During, about, around, until and throughout.

 The concert will be staged throughout the month of May.

 I learned how to ski during the holidays.

 He usually arrives around 3pm.

 It was about six in the morning when we made it to bed.

 The store is open until midnight.

Prepositions of Place

To confuse matters a bit, the most common prepositions to indicate time – on, at, in – are also the most
common prepositions to indicate position. However, the rules are a little clearer as place prepositions
are a more rigid concept than time prepositions.

Prepositions of place examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

 The cat is on the table.

 The dogs are in the kennel.

 We can meet at the crossroads.

The guidelines can be broken down as follows:

On is used when referring to something with a surface:

 The sculpture hangs on the wall.

 The images are on the page.

 The specials are on the menu, which is on the table.

In is used when referring to something that is inside or within confined boundaries. This could be
anything, even a country:

1. Jim is in France, visiting his aunt in the hospital.

3. The girls play in the garden.

At is used when referring to something at a specific point:

1. The boys are at the entrance at the movie theater.

2. He stood at the bus stop at the corner of Water and High streets.

3. We will meet at the airport.

Lot’s of other prepositions of place, such as under, over, inside, outside, above  and  below are used in
English. There is, however, a lot less confusion as they refer to rigid positions rather than abstract ones.

 The cat is under the table.

 Put the sandwich over there.

 The key is locked inside the car.

 They stepped outside the house.

 Major is ranked above corporal.

 He is waving at you from below the stairs.

Prepositions of Movement

Prepositions of movement are quite easy to understand as they are less abstract than prepositions of
place and time. Essentially, they describe how something or someone moves from one place to another.
The most commonly used preposition of movement is to, which usually serves to highlight that there is
movement towards a specific destination.

Prepositions of movement examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

 He has gone on vacation to France.

 She went to the bowling alley every Friday last summer.

 I will go to bed when I am tired.

 They will go to the zoo if they finish their errands.

Other more specific prepositions of movement include: through, across, off, down and into. These
prepositions can sometimes get mixed up with others. While they are similar, they have individual
meanings that add context to the movement.

Across refers to moving from one side to another.

 Mike travelled across America on his motorcycle.

 Rebecca and Judi are swimming across the lake.

Through refers to moving directly inside something and out the other end.
  The bullet Ben shot went through the window.

 The train passes through the tunnel.

Into refers to entering or looking inside something.

 James went into the room.

 They stare into the darkness.

Up, over, down, past and around indicate directions of movement:

1. Jack went up the hill.

2. Jill came tumbling down after.

3. We will travel over rough terrain on our way to Grandma’s house.

4. The horse runs around the track all morning.

5. A car zoomed past a truck on the highway

How to Recognize a Preposition?

Recognizing prepositions can be challenging as they do not always follow a consistent pattern in terms of
their position in a sentence, nor do they have a discernible structure or spelling. We do know, however,
that prepositions are almost always short words, with the majority having less than six letters. One
technique people use to identify a preposition is to think of a preposition as anywhere a mouse can
go. Above, below, next to, between, beyond, through, by, with…It won’t cover them all, but it can be a
useful question to ask when trying to identify and recognize a preposition. While there are over 100
prepositions, there are around 500,00-700,000 nouns in English! It is unlikely anyone will learn so many
nouns, but recognizing and then mastering prepositions might be a worthwhile and attainable goal.

Prepositions with Nouns

There are lots of different nouns that carry specific prepositions to consolidate their meaning. These are
called dependent prepositions. Again, there isn’t a set rule that says a particular type of noun will take a
dependent preposition, although they normally follow the noun. Moreover, there are many possible
combinations. Essentially, it’s case of familiarizing yourself with the different possibilities of nouns and
dependent prepositions. Examples:

 He displayed cruelty towards his dog.

 She had knowledge of physics.

 The trouble with Jack.

 21 is the age at which you are allowed to drink.

 Bolt made another attempt at the world record.

 The police held an inquiry into the murder.

Prepositional verbs – the phrasal combinations of verbs and prepositions – are important parts of
speech. The prepositions again act as links between the verb and noun or gerund, giving extra meaning
to the sentence. The prepositions most commonly used with verbs are: to, for, about, of, in, at and from.
The good news is that these will always come after the verb in the sentence. However, it should also be
noted that the prepositional verbs can have slightly different meaning compared to the original verb. For
example, to relate a story simply means to tell a story, to relate to a story means you identify with it, find
some personally meaning in that story.

Verb + to:

 He admitted to the charge.

 I go to Vancouver on vacation twice a year.

 William can relate to the character in the play.

Verb + for:

 He must apologize for his actions.

 We searched for ages before we found the perfect apartment.

 I provide for my family by working two jobs.

Verb + with:

 I don’t agree with your claim.

 The lawyer said he will meet with your representatives.

 They began with a quick warm-up.

Verb + of:

 I dream of a better life.

 Have you heard of Shakespeare?

 The bread consists of dough, raisins and a little honey.

Verb + in:

 Does Rick believe in miracles?

 Fallon lives in New York.

 The bus accident resulted in my being late to work.

Verb + at

1. We arrived at our destination.

2. Ilene excels at singing.
 3. Will the baby smile at her mother?

Verb + on:

 We should really concentrate on our studies now.

 Helen insisted on Brenda’s company.

 Morris experimented on some canvas.

Verb + from:

 Since turning 80, she suffers from lapses in concentration.

 Dad retired from the navy in the 1970s.

 Billy Bob, please refrain from doing that.

Prepositions with Adjectives

Prepositions can form phrases with adjectives to give further context to the action, emotion or thing the
adjective is describing. Like verbs and nouns, adjectives can be followed by: to, about, In, for, with,
at and by.

 I am happily married to David.

 Ellie is crazy about this movie.

 Michelle is interested in politics.

 We are sorry for your loss.

 Jane will be delighted with her results.

 Is he still angry at the world?

 The entire room was astonished by the election results.

There can sometimes be a pattern in deciding which prepositions go with adjectives, for example, when
adjectives have the same or very similar meaning to each other, they might take the same preposition:

 Frightened of, afraid of, scared of, terrified of

Indeed, when adjectives have opposite meaning they might also take the same preposition:

 Good at, great at, superb at, wonderful at

 Bad at, terrible at, woeful at, inept at

There are always many exceptions to the above, but it can help that there seems to be some

consistency when adjectives have the same meaning or opposite meaning.

 
Nevertheless, perhaps a more general rule is that English speakers simply need to learn which
prepositions go with which adjectives, as meaning can change significantly by using a different
preposition.

 I am  good at  sports means I have some athletic talent.

 The nurse was  good to  my mother  means she took care of her and was nice, kind, and helpful.

 I am  good with  animals means I get along with them and handle them well.

 Swimming is  good for  your health.

 That was  good of  you to come means you were begin nice and good to visit.

 My little brother is  good inside  (his body)  means even though you can’t see how he thinks and
feels, he is good. Even if his behavior is bad.

 The blueberry jam will be  good on  toast.