Prepositions of Time: IN, ON, AT
These three small words are essential for talking about time. This lesson uses a simple pyramid to make the rules easy to remember.
The Time Pyramid
Think of the prepositions like a pyramid, going from the biggest, most general time periods at the bottom to the smallest, most specific times at the top.
AT
Precise Times
ON
Days & Dates
IN
Longer Periods
Using IN (Longest Periods)
- Centuries & Decades: in the 1980s, in the 21st century
- Years: in 2024, in 1999
- Months: in December, in July
- Seasons: in the summer, in winter
- Weeks: in two weeks, in a few weeks
- Parts of the day: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
Using ON (Days and Dates)
- Days of the week: on Monday, on Friday
- Specific dates: on April 15th, on December 25th
- Special days: on my birthday, on New Year's Day
Using AT (Most Specific Times)
- Specific times: at 3:00 PM, at 10:30
- Holiday periods: at Christmas, at Easter
- Certain expressions: at night, at the weekend (UK), at the moment
Let's Practice!
Fill in the blanks with 'in', 'on', or 'at'.
1. The meeting is Friday.
2. I was born 1995.
3. Let's meet 7 PM.
4. My birthday is July.
5. He arrived midnight.
6. We always have a party New Year's Eve.