At 5 pm.? On monday? In January?
Prepositions of Time - at, in, on
We use:
at for a PRECISE TIME
on for DAYS and DATES
in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
Let's give a look at some examples
At | On | In |
at 11am. | on Tuesday | In February |
at midnight | on May 14th | in 1998 |
at 5 o'clock | on my birthday | in the summer |
at sunrise | on New Year's Eve | in the past |
Let's meet on Tuesday?
My birthday is on May 14th.
I met him at 11 am. today.
At sunrise, the sun looks like a cake.
I was born in 1998.
In the past, I used to eat a lot of candies.
*Note that in some varieties of English people say "on the weekend" and "on Christmas".
Pay attention!
When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.
I went to London last September. (not in last September)
He's coming back next Friday. (not on next Friday)
I go home every Christmas. (not at every Christmas)
We'll call you this morning. (not in this morning)
Mini Quiz
Test your understanding with this quick quiz.
1. Choose the correct prepositions: "Let's meet _______ midday _______ Saturday."
at, at
in, on
at, on
2. Choose the correct prepositions: "The manager isn't here _______ present, but she'll be back _______ half an hour."
at, in
at, at
in, in
3. Which are correct? "You won't be working _______ Saturday nights _______ the future, will you?"
at, in
on, in
on, at
4. Which are correct? "I'm busy _______ moment, but I'll be free ______ evening."
at the, in this
in the, at this
at the, this
Right Answers
1) at, on
2) at, in
3) on, in
4) at the, this
If you have any further questions about this topic, contact me on my professional Instagram page @anton_school.