PREPOSITIONS
A. 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 moment in the past/future on New Year's Eve
* 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 time.
at present He's not home at present. Try later.
* Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and
on in these common expressions: in the evening(s) on Monday evening
in on *When we say last, next, every, this we do not also
use at, in, on.
in the morning on Tuesday morning
I went to London last June. (not in last June)
in the mornings on Saturday mornings He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on
next Tuesday)
in the afternoon(s) on Sunday afternoons I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
We'll call you this evening. (not in this
evening)
B. Prepositions of Place: at, in, on
In general, we use: *Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in
and on in these standard expressions:
at for a POINT
in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
on for a SURFACE at in on
at home in a car on a bus
at in on
at work in a taxi on a train
ENCLOSED
POINT SURFACE
SPACE at school in a helicopter on a plane
at the corner in the garden on the wall at
in a boat on a ship
university
at the bus stop in London on the ceiling
in a lift on a bicycle, on a
at college
at the door in France on the door (elevator) motorbike
at the top of the in the on a horse, on an
in a box on the cover at the top
page newspaper elephant
at the end of the at the on the radio, on
in my pocket on the floor in the sky
road bottom television
at the entrance in my wallet on the carpet on the left, on the
at the side in a row
right
at the crossroads in a building on the menu
in Oxford
at reception on the way
at the front desk in a car on a page Street
THE END
