Prepositions of time - on / at / in / Prepositions of place - on / at / in
In, On & At are all examples of prepositions in English that show a relationship to both time and place.
It is useful to note that in, at & on as prepositions of time and place actually have similar definitions:
In - for both time and place is non specific or general
On - In place a more specific location in a larger general location or in time a specific day within a larger time context
At - The most specific preposition: A specific location or time.
Prepositions of Time
Function:
Prepositions of time show the relationship between two parts of a sentence in the context of time. This relationship in time can be understood as one of the following ideas:
to indicate an unspecified amount of time (e.g. in)
to indicate a specific time (e.g. at)
to indicate a specific date (e.g. on)
to indicate a span of time (e.g. from... to...)
to indicate something takes place prior to something else (e.g. before)
to indicate something happening while something else is also happening (e.g. during)
Examples of In, On & At as prepositions of time
In
As a preposition of time, in is usually used to represent an unspecified amount of time or a general period of time.
In + Parts of the day
in the morning/afternoon/evening - We have class in the afternoon
In + Months
My birthday is in May
In + Seasons
Christmas is in winter
In + Years
The club was founded in 1882
They were married in 1977
In + Decades
The best music was made in the 1960s
Fashion was terrible in the eighties
In + Centuries
We will have flying cars in the 21st century
He lived in the 10th century
In + Periods of time
They did things differently in the past
We will have greater opportunities in the future
Life was difficult in the middle ages
I will be with you in a moment
In + Weeks
We will meet again in three weeks
(Where the other uses of in are about events occurring within a specific period of time, this use refers to a duration of time before an action is going to occur, similar to in a moment)
In + Holidays
We were at my parents house in the Christmas holiday
On
As a preposition of time, on refers to a specific day or date.
On + Days
We return to school on Monday
On + Dates
April fools day is on April the 1st
On the first day of Christmas
We got married on the 28th
On + Holidays on a specific day
We will have lunch together on New Year's Day
We stayed with her family on Christmas Day
On + Specific days
On that day I was not at work
I went for drinks on my birthday
We needed a babysitter on our anniversary
On + Specific time
You will only need to be available on weekdays
You need to arrive on time
We first kissed on a summer evening like this
On + Day + Part of a day
We go to church on Sunday mornings
I always have a drink with my colleagues on Friday evening
I play football on Sunday evening
At
As a preposition of time, at demonstrates a specific time.
At + Hours
We will eat at 1pm
The match starts at 3pm
At + Parts of the day
People should be careful at night
The bells chime at midnight
At + Holidays without "day"
Some people can get depressed at New Year
At + Time
I will see you at breakfast
At present, we do not have any available positions
Prepositions of Place
Function:
Prepositions of place show the relationship between two parts of a sentence in context of location. This relationship can be understood as one of the following ideas:
to indicate an enclosed space (e.g. in)
to indicate something on a surface or somewhere specific in a larger area (e.g. on)
to indicate a specific point (e.g. at)
to indicate something is in a position in relation to something else (e.g. behind/in front of/beside)
Examples of In, On & At as prepositions of place
In
When describing place, in is used to demonstrate something being within an enclosed or larger space. We can often think about boundaries or walls to enclose the location
In + country/county
Canterbury is in England
Canterbury is in Kent
In + region or city
We used to go on holiday in the Lake District
I live in Zaragoza
The bank is in the city centre
In + internal location/enclosed space
He is working in the library
We are in the taxi now
The coat is in the wardrobe
On
On indicates something is on top of something else, or a more specific location within a larger area.
On + street
The bank is on Main Street
It is on James Street before the traffic lights
On + surface
The laptop is on the table
Put the model on the shelf
The clock is on the wall
On + forms of transport
We are on the bus
(Note: we use in for private forms of transport, such as car or taxi but on for forms you ride such as bike or scooter)
On + communication
I am on the radio every week
Please wait, I am talking on the phone
You can find better prices on the internet.
At
When used as a preposition of place, at is used to show something is at a specific location. It is the most specific of the prepositions of place.
At + address/specific location
I picked up the book at the library
My office is at 102 Hubbard Road
I was at work when you phoned me.