UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RECÔNCAVO DA BAHIA

English Laboratory I by Prof. Flávius Almeida dos Anjos Copyright 2021

USING PREPOSITIONS OF TIME

We use in, on and at for lots of different times. Here’s a table comparing the uses:

in on at

Months: in January / in
Days of the week: on
April
Monday Clock times: at
Seasons: in spring / in
Days + parts of days: on 7.30 a.m. / at 5
winter
Tuesday afternoon / on o’clock
Years: in 1984 / in 2015
Saturday mornings Festivals: at
Centuries: in the 20th
Dates: on November 22nd Christmas / at
century
Special days: on my Easter
Times of day: in the
birthday / on New Year’s Exceptions: at
morning / in the evening
Eve night / at the
Longer periods of time:
weekend
in the past / in the 1990s /
in the holidays

We use at:
 with particular points on the clock:
I’ll see you at five o’clock.
 with particular points in the day:
The helicopter took off at midday and headed for the island.
 with particular points in the week:
What are you doing at the weekend?
 with special celebrations:
At the New Year, millions of people travel home to be with their families (but we
say on your birthday).
We don’t use at with the question What time …? in informal situations:
What time are you leaving? (preferred to At what time are you leaving?)
 UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RECÔNCAVO DA BAHIA
English Laboratory I by Prof. Flávius Almeida dos Anjos Copyright 2021

We use on:
 with dates:
We moved into this house on 25 October 1987.
 with a singular day of the week to refer to one occasion:
I’ve got to go to London on Friday.
 with a plural day of the week to refer to repeated events:
The office is closed on Fridays. (every Friday) In informal situations, we often
leave out on before plural days:
Do you work Saturdays?
 with special dates:
What do you normally do on your birthday?

We use in:
 with parts of the day:
I’ll come and see you in the morning for a cup of coffee, okay?
 with months:
We usually go camping in July or August.
 with years:
The house was built in 1835.
 with seasons:
The garden is wonderful in the spring when all the flowers come out.
 with long periods of time:
The population of Europe doubled in the nineteenth century.
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RECÔNCAVO DA BAHIA
English Laboratory I by Prof. Flávius Almeida dos Anjos Copyright 2021
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RECÔNCAVO DA BAHIA
English Laboratory I by Prof. Flávius Almeida dos Anjos Copyright 2021