prepositions

Time: at, in, on, since, for…

Place: in, on, at…
Movement: from, across, along…
Connections: of, with, by
Exceptions: except for, besides, without, minus…
 Prepositions of time
at, in, on, from-to, past, during, for,
since, before, by, until…
 At
At:
• exact point in time: at 9
• before names of mealtimes: See you at lunch!
• when we talk about a person’s age as a point
in time: I graduated at the age of 23
• night (during any night)/ christmas
 In
In:
• Period of time (e.g: PART of the day)/ in the
evening/ They did it all in one day
• Before names of months, seasons & years
• Before phrases identifying centuries, historical
periods
• Periods of time before something happens or
is completed: in an hour/ in 2 or 3 days
 ON
On:
• Specific day: on Sunday
• Part of a specific day: On Friday afternoon
• Dates: On May 3rd
• (informal uses: On can be left out)
• Special days/ occasions (+day): on your
birthday/ on Christmas DAY
 From-to/ Past
From-to:
for starting and end points in time
The class meets from 2 to 4 p.m
Past:
with a point in time / later than
It’s past 8 O’clock
It’s 20 past 8
 Since before/ Until after
• N.B: we don’t usually combine 2 prepositions
but there are exceptions:
• Since before: I’ve known him since before
university
• Until after: Don’t say happy new year until
after midnight
 Before/ By/ Until/ Not until
Before: something happening earlier than a certain
time (general)
• Rob said he would be here before six
By: when we mean at/on or before a specific time
• Rob hopes to be here by six
Until: a period of time up to a specific point in time
(till/ informal)
• Let’s wait for him until quarter past six
Not..until: not earlier than
• Rob will not get here until six thirty