Prepositions of time: in, on, at
450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten
In for long periods, on for days and dates, at for clock times.
Practice this form
Loading…
Getting your first question ready.
The periods get shorter
in covers the longest stretches, on one day, at a moment:
in 2019 → in June → on 14 June → at six o’clock
The exceptions worth memorising
- at night but in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
- on Monday morning — once a day is named, on takes over
- at the weekend in British English, on the weekend in American
- at Christmas (the period) but on Christmas Day (the date)
No preposition at all
Drop it entirely before next, last, this, every, tomorrow, yesterday:
I’m leaving next week. We met last year. I go every day.
Adding on or in here is one of the most frequent errors at this level.
in as a length of time
In also means after how long:
The train leaves in ten minutes. — ten minutes from now.
Compare within ten minutes, which means at some point during them.
during, for, since, until, by
- during a period: during the meeting
- for a length: for two hours
- since a starting point: since Tuesday
- until the end of a period: until Friday
- by a deadline: by Friday
The last pair is the one that matters: until Friday means the whole week; by Friday means not later than Friday.
All forms
| Preposition | Used with | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| in | months, years, seasons, parts of the day | in May, in 2019, in winter, in the morning |
| on | days and dates | on Friday, on 3 June, on my birthday, on Monday morning |
| at | clock times and fixed points | at six, at midnight, at Easter, at the weekend |
| no preposition | next, last, this, every | next week, last year, every day |
Examples
Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- The shop opens at 9 o'clock in the morning.
- She arrived on the morning of July 12th.
- The train is due to arrive in 10 minutes.
- The class starts at eight in the morning.
- We usually celebrate Christmas on December 24th.
- They are planning a trip in the summer.
- I have an important meeting at 9 o'clock.
- He usually arrives on time for his classes.
- She usually takes a nap in the afternoon.
- They will arrive at the end of the month.
- They have their anniversary on July 15th.
- The movie will be released in September.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: I'll see you in Monday. correct: I'll see you on Monday.
Days take on.
Wrong: We met at 2019. correct: We met in 2019.
Years take in.
Wrong: See you on next week. correct: See you next week.
Next, last, this and every take no preposition.