Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
Table of Contents
Exercises
At - exact time or short periods
We use at for precise times, holidays, and short points in time.
Examples:
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at 7:30
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at midnight
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at lunchtime
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at New Year’s Eve
Special cases: at night, at the weekend.
We also use at to show the end of a period:
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at the end of class
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at the end of the month
In - longer periods of time
We use in for months, years, centuries, and parts of the day.
Examples:
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in June
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in the morning
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in 1999
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in the 21st century
We also use in to say how soon something will happen:
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The taxi will arrive in 20 minutes.
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She will be here in half an hour.
On - days and dates
We use on with days of the week, specific dates, and named holidays.
Examples:
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on Tuesday
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on 4th July
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on Christmas Day
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on Saturday afternoon
We also use on time to mean “punctual.”
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The bus is always on time.
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Please arrive on time for the exam.
No preposition
When we use words like this, last, next, every, we don’t add a preposition.
Wrong: on next Monday
Correct: next Monday
Wrong: at last summer
Correct: last summer
