At is used to indicate specific points in time such as noon, midnight, or holidays. On is used to indicate days of the week or dates. In is used to indicate months, years, seasons, centuries, periods of the day. Exceptions include using "at" for weekends and nights. Other prepositions like ago, in, after, before, till/until, from...to, since, for, during, and while are used to indicate various relationships involving time.

1. English
Prepositions of
Time
© Daria Storozhilova
www.stordar.com

2. Prepositions at, on, in
AT - point - time
- points and moments
(midday = noon;
midnight)
- holidays or events
at 5 o’clock
at midnight
at the moment
at Christmas, at Easter
ON - day - days of week
- dates
- phrases with “day”
on Sunday
on the fourth of July
on birthday, on holiday =
vacation, on the day of our
anniversary, on Christmas day,
on Sunday morning, on Friday
night
IN - period - months
- years
- seasons
- centuries
- epoques / ages
- periods of the day
in September
in 2014
in winter
in the 20th century
in the Middle Ages
in the morning (a.m.), in the
afternoon, in the evening
EXCEPTIONS
at the weekend (Am on the weekend)
at night
NO PREPOSITION BEFORE
yesterday, today, tomorrow
last, this, next, every, all, that
© Daria Storozhilova

3. Other Prepositions
AGO Some time earlier He was here 2 years ago.
IN Some time in the
Future
I will be back home in an hour.
AFTER 1. Some time later
in the Past
2. Showing next
action
After 15 minutes, I heard a call.
After we talked, I was more sure.
BEFORE 1. Showing
previous action
2. In some Past
Before we met, I was not fair to him.
I have never met him before. (not earlier)
TILL /
UNTIL
Final point of
action
I will stay here till / until September.
FROM…
TO...
Initial and final
points of finished
actions
I lived in Belgium from 2009 to 2014.
SINCE Initial point of
unfinished action
I haven’t seen him since October.
FOR Length of
unfinished or
finished action
How long have you known him? - For 2
years.
I worked there for a month.
DURING In the process of... I learnt German during my travels.
WHILE In the process of
(using a sentence)
I learnt German while I was travelling.
© Daria Storozhilova

4. Watch my videos for
detailed explanations
Prepositions at, on, in
Intermediate Prepositions
Video links

5. www.stordar.com
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