Prepositions of Time

Prepositions of Time: “On,” “At,” and “In”

Using “On”

The preposition “on” is used for specific days and dates. Think of it as pinpointing an exact spot on the calendar!

When to Use “On”:

• Days of the week: on Monday, on Friday, on Saturday
• Dates: on July 6th, on December 28th
• Specific days: on my birthday, on New Year’s Day

Examples:

1. Ramadan starts on a different day each year.
2. She has a meeting on Monday.
3. My birthday is on July 20th.
4. School starts on September 1st.
5. We always eat pizza on Fridays.
6. They visit family on Christmas Day.
7. Fireworks are beautiful on New Year’s Eve.
8. Graduation is on June 15th.
9. He starts his new job on Monday morning.
10. There’s a sale on Black Friday.
11. The event is on the last Saturday of the month.
12. We dress up on Halloween.
13. Elections are held on the first Tuesday of November.
14. The game is on Sunday afternoon.
15. Let’s meet on the morning of June 5th.

Using “At”

The preposition “at” is used to refer to specific points in time. Think of it as pointing to a spot on the clock!

When to Use “At”:

• Exact times: at 3 PM, at noon
• Meal times: at breakfast, at lunchtime
• Specific periods: at night, at the moment

Examples:

1. The meeting starts at 2 PM.
2. He goes to bed at midnight.
3. Let’s have coffee at noon.
4. Dinner is served at 7 PM.
5. The class begins at 9 AM.
6. The news airs at 6 PM.
7. Stars appear at night.
8. The rooster crows at dawn.
9. She jogs at sunrise.
10. Kids leave school at 3:30 PM.
11. The bus arrives at quarter past eight.
12. He naps at lunchtime.
13. The play starts at half past seven.
14. She gets home at five o’clock.
15. Call me at any time.

Using “In” 

The preposition “in” is used for longer periods, such as months, years, seasons, and parts of the day. Think of it as being inside a larger time frame.

When to Use “In”:

• Months: in August, in December
• Years: in 2020, in 1995
• Seasons: in summer, in winter
• Parts of the day: in the morning, in the afternoon

Examples:

1. She jogs in the morning.
2. I drink tea in the afternoon.
3. They relax in the evening.
4. Stars shine in the night sky.
5. Flowers bloom in spring.
6. We swim in summer.
7. Leaves fall in autumn.
8. It snows in winter.
9. She graduates in 2023.
10. The event is in October.
11. He got the job in 2010.
12. They met in college.
13. The Olympics were held in 2016.
14. The movie releases in June.
15. We’re traveling in December.

Using “Past” and “To” 

When telling time, “past” and “to” describe minutes after or before the hour. Think of navigating the clock face!

How to Use “Past” and “To”:

• “Past” means after the hour.
• “To” means before the hour.

Examples with “Past”:

• It’s five past ten (10:05).
• It’s quarter past three (3:15).
• It’s twenty past six (6:20).
• It’s half past nine (9:30).
• It’s ten past eleven (11:10).
• It’s twenty-five past eight (8:25).
• It’s fifteen past two (2:15).
• It’s five past five (5:05).
• It’s ten past twelve (12:10).
• It’s twenty past one (1:20).

Examples with “To”:

• It’s twenty to six (5:40).
• It’s quarter to seven (6:45).
• It’s ten to nine (8:50).
• It’s five to four (3:55).
• It’s twenty-five to ten (9:35).
• It’s fifteen to eleven (10:45).
• It’s thirty to twelve (11:30).
• It’s twenty to one (12:40).
• It’s five to three (2:55).
• It’s ten to four (3:50).

Prepositions Showing Duration

To express the duration or time span of an activity, we use prepositions like “from… to…”, “between… and…”, “until”, “since”, “for”, and “during”. Let’s explore how to use each of them!

Using “From… to…”:

This structure indicates when an activity starts and ends.

Examples with “From… to…”:

1. She studies from 6 PM to 8 PM.
2. We work from Monday to Friday.
3. The store is open from 9 AM to 9 PM.
4. The conference runs from June 1st to June 5th.
5. The exhibition is open from March to May.
6. He brainstormed from morning to evening.
7. They vacationed from July to August.
8. The play runs from today to next Sunday.
9. Ramadan lasts from April to May.
10. The show airs from 8 PM to 9 PM.
11. The park is open from dawn to dusk.
12. The course goes from beginner to advanced.
13. We drove from New York to Boston.
14. He cycles from home to work.
15. School runs from September to June.

Using “Between… and…”:

Similar to “from… to…”, this structure indicates the start and end of a time period.

Examples with “Between… and…”:

• The store is open between 8 AM and 8 PM.
• Call me between 6 PM and 9 PM.
• We work between Monday and Friday.
• The course runs between September and December.
• Trains run between stations A and B.

Using “Until”:

“Until” is used to express when an ongoing action or situation ends.

Examples with “Until”:

• She will study until midnight.
• We waited until sunrise.
• The office is open until 6 PM.
• The kitchen serves food until 10 PM.
• The party lasts until dawn.
• It rained until noon.
• He’s on leave until next week.
• Buses run until midnight.
• The show goes on until further notice.
• I’ll play until dinner time.

Using “Since”:

“Since” indicates the starting point of an ongoing action or situation.

Examples with “Since”:

• I’ve known her since 2010.
• They’ve been online since this morning.
• It’s been raining since yesterday.
• We’ve been waiting since noon.
• She has studied English since childhood.
• He hasn’t smoked since last year.
• They lived here since June.
• I’ve worked remotely since March.
• The sun has been shining since morning.
• We’ve been celebrating since the announcement.

Using “For”:

“For” expresses the duration of an action.

Examples with “For”:

• She studied for three hours.
• We drove for five miles.
• They watched movies for the entire weekend.
• I slept for eight hours.
• He talked for two hours.
• She ran for 30 minutes.
• He played guitar for years.
• They’ve lived here for a decade.
• She shopped for the whole afternoon.
• The balloon floated for days.

Using “During”:

“During” is used to express when something happens within a period.

Examples with “During”:

• She woke up during the night.
• We laughed during the play.
• He took notes during the lecture.
• It rained during our vacation.
• They met during the filming.
• I stayed indoors during the heatwave.
• She was promoted during her tenure.
• We celebrated during the festival.
• He rested during the afternoon.
• They got lost during the race.

Using “By” and “Before/After”

Using “By”:

“By” is used to indicate a deadline or time before which something will happen.

Examples with “By”:

• Submit the report by Friday.
• We’ll arrive by noon.
• Finish the book by tomorrow.
• She will turn 30 by next year.
• They plan to move by August.
• Be here by 3 PM.
• Let’s decide by tonight.
• The package should arrive by Thursday.
• The launch is scheduled by end of the month.
• We need ideas by the meeting.

Using “Before”:

“Before” is used to talk about something that happens prior to a certain time or event.

Examples with “Before”:

• I wake up before sunrise.
• She arrived before me.
• Let’s eat before the movie.
• Finish your work before leaving.
• Call me before 10 PM.
• They left before the party ended.
• Study before the exam.
• Buy gifts before Christmas.
• Check in before the flight.
• Set the alarm before sleeping.

Using “After”:

“After” is used to refer to an event that follows another event.

Examples with “After”:

• We can relax after work.
• Let’s watch a movie after dinner.
• She traveled after graduation.
• They celebrated after winning.
• The sun came out after the rain.
• He slept after the long day.
• I’ll read after studying.
• She shopped after getting paid.
• We swam after sunset.
• He drove home after the meeting.