There are many prepositions in English and today we are going to study three prepositions that you can use to speak about time and place.
The Prepositions In, At and on can be used to indicate place and time.
The following guide explains how to use these three preposition in both instances.
Prepositions of Place: In, At and On
We use the preposition at to
- indicate the exact position in which a noun is located.
- talk about locations at companies and workplaces
- refer to group activities
- talk about being at school / college and universities
- refer to an address
- refer to most shops
We use the preposition In to:
- indicate that a noun is an in closed space
- to talk about workplaces when we see them as a physical location
We use the preposition On to
- Indicate that the noun is on surface
- describe a position along a road or river or by the sea or by a lake
- to talk about a floor in a building
- talk about being physically on public transport
Look at these examples about how the prepositions In, At and On are used in sentences
| The Computer is on the Table |
| Dublin is on the east coast of Ireland |
| They live on the second floor |
| I was on the phone when she called me |
| I put my credit card on the desk |
| I live in Costa Rica |
| I am gonna stay in a hotel |
| There are two people in the room |
| There is a party at the club house |
| I will meet you at 4 at the Doctor’s office |
| I was at Maria’s party, We had so much fun |
| She always does well at school |
| we saw a soccer game at the stadium |
Preposition of Time: In, At and On
We use the preposition at when when we are talking about
- a precise time.
- a particular point during the day
- a particular point during the week
- special celebration
We use the preposition on when when we are talking about
- dates
- specific day of the week
- plural day of the week to refer to repeated events
- special dates
We use the preposition in when when we are talking about
- parts of the day
- months
- years
- seasons
- long periods of time
Look at these examples:
| I have a meeting at 9 am. |
| Lisa went home at lunchtime. |
| What are you doing at the weekend? |
| Do you work on Mondays? |
| The supermarket is closed on sundays |
| What do you usually do on your birthday? |
| I am going to do exercises in the morning |
| We usually go camping in July or August. |
| The offices were built back in 2002 |
| It often snows in December. |
Exercises: In, At and On Quiz
These are some exercises to see how much you know about the prepositions in, at and on
- at, in, on – Prepositions in expressions of time – Exercise
- Prepositions – at, in, on – Test
- Prepositions of place, direction, and time – Exercise
- In, On, At – Prepositions of Place
- Basic English Prepositions of Time and Place: At, In, On, and To
- Time Prepositions Exercise
