Prepositions of Time & Place (Beginners)
At – we use AT for the time of the day (e.g. I start work at 8 o’clock; The shops close at
5.30).
On – we use ON for days and dates (e.g. See you on Friday; I do not work on Sundays;
the concert is on 22 November).
In – we use IN with longer periods [for example months/years/seasons] (e.g. see you in
October; Emma left school in 1994; The garden is lovely in spring).
At – we use AT for the following: at the weekend, at night, at Christmas, at Easter, at the
end of… at the moment.
In – we use IN to help describe the future: in five minutes, in two years, in three weeks,
etc.
In/on – we use IN with the following: in the morning, in the evening, in the afternoon,
but ON with the following: on Monday morning, on Saturday evening, on Tuesday
afternoon, on Friday night.
In/at/on – We do not use IN / AT / ON before this, last, next every (e.g. This
morning/This week; Last August/Last week; Next Monday/Next week; Every day/Every
week).
From…to (also: From…until) – means between two days, dates, times, etc. (e.g. They
are closed from Monday to Wednesday; From the 18th century until the present…)
Until – until + the end of a period – means up to that day, date, time, etc. (e.g. until
Friday; until December; until I come back).
Since – since + a time in the past (to now) – means from a certain time, day, date, etc. to
now. We use SINCE with present perfect. (e.g. He has been in hospital since Monday;
We have been married since last summer; It has been raining since I arrived). NOTE: We
use FOR (not since) + a period of time (e.g. He has been in the hospital for three days;
we have been married for 1 year; It has been raining for 3 weeks).
Before/during/after – used with nouns (e.g. Everybody is nervous before a test; nobody
will cheat during the test; Everybody can relax after the test).
Before/while/after – used with verbs (e.g. Pick up your clothes before you play football;
Drink plenty of fluids while you play football; You should have a shower after you play
football).
During – during + noun: (e.g. during the meal)
While – while + verb: (e.g. while we were eating)
NOTE: We use FOR (not during) + a period of time (e.g. We played football for three
hours; We have not been home for three weeks).
Before/after – You can use BEFORE / AFTER + -ing (gerund), but you cannot use
BEFORE / AFTER + infinitive. (e.g. Finish your homework before going out; After
reading the newspaper, he went to sleep).
In – (e.g. in a room, in a shop, in a car, in the water, etc.)
In – (e.g. in a garden, in a town, in the city center, in France, etc.)
In – (e.g. in bed, in hospital, in prison, in a street, in the sky, in the world, in a
newspaper, in a book, in a photograph, in a picture, in a car, in a taxi, in the middle
(of…))
At – (e.g. at the bus stop, at the door, at the traffic lights, at her desk, etc.)
At – (e.g. at home, at school, at work, at university, at college, at the station, at the
airport, at Jane’s (house), at the doctor’s at the hairdressers, at a concert, at a party, at a
football match)
On – (e.g. on a shelf, on a plate, on a balcony, on the first floor, etc.)
On – (e.g. on a bus, on a train, on a plane, on a ship, on the ground floor, on the way
(to…), on the way home)
* Grammar explanations adapted from Raymond Murphy (Essential Grammar in Use),
see this book for the detailed differences for the place prepositions in, at, and on.
Prepositions of Time & Place (Intermediate)
At – at midnight, at lunchtime, at sunset, etc.
On – on Christmas day, on 12 March 1991, on my birthday, on Fridays, etc.
In – in (the) winter, in the 1970’s, in the 18th century, in the Middle ages, in the past, in
(the) future.
At – the weekend/weekends, at the same time, at present, etc.
On time/in time – On time = punctual, not late. If something happens on time, it
happens at the time which was planned. The opposite of on time is late. In time (for
something/to do something) = soon enough. The opposite of in time is too late.
At the end/in the end – at the end (of something) = at the time when something ends.
The opposite of at the end is at the beginning. You CANNOT say in the end of
something. In the end = finally. The opposite of in the end is usually at first.
For – for + a period of time to say how long something goes on.
During – during + noun to say when something happens (not how long).
NOTE: with a time word, you can usually use IN or DURING (e.g. in the summer =
during the summer; in the night = during the night).
By – By + a time = ‘not later than’ (e.g. give me your homework by Friday = on or
before Friday, not later than Friday).
By/Until (or Till) – Something continues until a time in the future, but something
happens by a time in the future.
In – (e.g. in a room, in a building, in a box, etc.)
In – (e.g. in a garden, in a town, in a country, etc.)
In – (e.g. in a line, in a row, in a queue, in a magazine, in a letter (but on a page), in the
water, in the universe, in the sea)
At – (e.g. at the bus stop, at the door, at the window, at the top of (something), at the
bottom of (something), etc.)
At – (e.g. at sea = on a voyage)
On – (e.g. on the ceiling, on the wall, on the floor, etc.)
On – (e.g. on the left, on the right, on a map, on the menu, on a farm, on the river)
In/At – are often used with buildings
** Grammar explanations adapted from Raymond Murphy (English Grammar in Use),
see this book for the detailed differences for the place prepositions in, at, and on.
Prepositions of Time & Place (Advanced)
At – we use AT with points of time or periods of time that we think of as points, we use
AT: with exact points of time (e.g. at midday, at noon, at midnight, etc.); with short
holiday periods (e.g. at Christmas, at Easter, etc.); with other short periods that we think
of as points (e.g. at the end of January, at the beginning of the year); with mealtimes (e.g.
at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner); with night (e.g. at night – however, we use in with the
middle of the night, in the middle of March, and that when we talk about a particular
night we use in the night); in the phrase at the moment = now, but notice we use in a
moment = in a short period of time.
In – we use IN: when we talk about longer periods of time such as seasons, months,
years, decades, centuries, and other periods (e.g. in the 60’s, in the 20th century, etc.);
when we say how long something takes (e.g. in an hour, in a day, in a week, etc.); with
parts of the day [except night, plus we can often use DURING instead of IN when we
talk about periods of time].
On – we use ON when we talk about a particular day, date, or a particular day (e.g. on
Monday morning, on her birthday, on the last day of the year, on Easter Sunday, on
Christmas Eve).
At/on/in – we rarely use at/in/on before the words all, any, each, every, last, next, one,
some, this, or that when these are followed by a time expression; we do not use at/in/on
before tomorrow, the day after, yesterday, the day before.
Other prepositions of time: during, for, of, over, throughout, by, until, except (for),
besides, apart from, but for, about, with, etc.
Other prepositions of place: across, along, over, through, above, below, over, under,
between, among, by, beside, next to, opposite, behind, to, up, down, round, along, past,
etc.
*** Grammar explanations adapted from Martin Hewings (Advanced Grammar in Use),
see this book for the detailed differences for the place prepositions in, at, and on.
Exercises:
1. The boat is _____ the river and the person rowing is _____ the boat and the person
swimming is _____ the ocean.
2. The clouds are _____ the sky and the birds are flying _____ the sky too.
3. I was born _____ the 4th _____ July _____ 1776.
4. There are many galaxies _____ the universe.
5. The Nile River is _____ Egypt, Egypt is _____ Africa, Africa is on earth, earth is _____
the Milky Way, and the Milky Way is just one galaxy _____ the universe.
6. I live _____ 23 Down Street in London.
7. The train stops _____ Prague on its way to Amsterdam. The same train’s end station is
_____ Amsterdam.
8. _____ the way to the cinema, we spotted an owl flying _____ the sky and an eagle sitting
_____ a roof.
9. _____ present, we are still under house arrest.
10. Do you see the painting _____ the wall? It is a real Van Gogh.
11. My desk is _____ the carpet, the carpet is _____ the floor. My desk is _____ my
bedroom, my bedroom is _____ the house. The antenna is _____ the roof, the roof is
_____ the house.
12. The plants are _____ the corner of my bedroom.
13. I will see you later _____ 5:00 PM.
14. _____ such a fine evening as this, we should be _____ a park, not at home.
15. I will be flying to America _____ Christmas, but _____ Christmas Day I will be _____
Mexico.
16. Will we build the tree-house _____ the weekend?
17. I was waiting _____ the bus stop, where were you? Oh, I was waiting _____ the tram
stop opposite the bus stop.
18. _____ the movie started we bought popcorn, _____ the movie my girlfriend almost
choked _____ the popcorn, and _____ the movie we went home.
19. _____ he was playing football, he broke his leg. _____ the surgery to repair the broken
leg, he met his future wife.
20. He has been laying _____ bed for three days now.
21. He is _____ hospital, _____ the third floor. The hospital is _____ Reed Street.
22. We will go to the club _____ midnight and we will dance _____ noon, _____ then we
will be completely exhausted.
23. _____ the way to the doctor’s she noticed a man standing _____ a corner near to the
bank, she thought he looked suspicious, so she called the police.
24. Do you believe _____ magic?
25. _____ the top of this explanation you will find the heading, _____ the middle you will
find the exercises, and _____ the bottom you will find the answers.
26. My brother is _____ home, my mother is _____ work, my father is _____ holiday, I am
_____ school, my sister is _____ the doctor’s and our cat is asleep _____ my bed.
27. Did you get there _____ time, or were you late? I just got there _____ the nick of time.
28. I handed my homework _____ time.
29. _____ the time you read this, I will be _____ Brazil.
30. _____ we do not understand each other I have decided to move out.
31. I am working _____ the school, you _____ studying at this university.
Answer Key:
1. The boat is on the river and the person rowing is in the boat and the person
swimming is in the ocean.
2. The clouds are in the sky and the birds are flying in the sky too.
3. I was born on the 4th of July in 1776.
4. There are many galaxies in the universe.
5. The Nile River is in Egypt, Egypt is in Africa, Africa is on earth, earth is in the
Milky Way, and the Milky Way is just one galaxy in the universe.
6. I live at 23 Down Street in London.
7. The train stops at Prague on its way to Amsterdam. The same train’s end station
is in Amsterdam.
8. On the way to the cinema, we spotted an owl flying in the sky and an eagle sitting
on a roof.
9. At present, we are still under house arrest.
10. Do you see the painting on the wall? It is a real Van Gogh.
11. My desk is on the carpet, the carpet is on the floor. My desk is in my bedroom,
my bedroom is in the house. The antenna is on the roof, the roof is on the house.
12. The plants are in the corner of my bedroom.
13. I will see you later at 5:00 PM.
14. On such a fine evening as this, we should be in a park, not at home.
15. I will be flying to America at Christmas, but on Christmas Day I will be in
Mexico.
16. Will we build the tree-house at the weekend?
17. I was waiting at the bus stop, where were you? Oh, I was waiting at the tram stop
opposite the bus stop.
18. Before the movie started we bought popcorn, during the movie my girlfriend
almost choked on the popcorn, and after the movie we went home.
19. While he was playing football, he broke his leg. During the surgery to repair the
broken leg, he met his future wife.
20. He has been laying in bed for three days now.
21. He is in hospital, on the third floor. The hospital is on Reed Street.
22. We will go to the club at midnight and we will dance until noon, by then we will
be completely exhausted.
23. On the way to the doctor’s she noticed a man standing at a corner near to the
bank, she thought he looked suspicious, so she called the police.
24. Do you believe in magic?
25. At the top of this explanation you will find the heading, in the middle you will
find the exercises, and at the bottom you will find the answers.
26. My brother is at home, my mother is at work, my father is on holiday, I am at
school, my sister is at the doctor’s and our cat is asleep on my bed.
27. Did you get there on time, or were you late? I just got there in the nick of time.
28. I handed my homework on time.
29. By the time you read this, I will be in Brazil.
30. Since we do not understand each other I have decided to move out.
31. I am working at the school, you at studying at this university.