Prepositions like “in”, “on”, and “at” are small words that have a big job in English. They help us understand when something happens and where it happens. These words might be small, but learning them can make a big difference in speaking and writing English clearly.
What is a Preposition?
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence, indicating direction, location, time, or method. They help give more detail to how, where, or when something happens.
Preposition of Time
A preposition of time is a word that helps to indicate when something happens or the duration of an event, such as “at” for specific times, “in” for months or years, and “on” for days and dates.
Preposition of Place
A preposition of place is a word that indicates the location or position of something or someone, showing where something is situated in relation to another object, like “on” for surfaces, “at” for specific points, and “in” for enclosed spaces.
Using In/On/At as a Preposition of Time
“In”, “on”, and “at” are commonly used as prepositions of time in English to give more specific information about when something happens:
- In is used for more general times, like months, years, decades, or seasons. For example, “in April”, “in 2025”, “in the 1990s”, “in summer”.
- On is used for specific days and dates. For instance, you might say “on Monday”, “on Christmas Day”, “on my birthday”.
- At is used for precise times, such as hours and specific times of the day. Examples include “at 3 pm”, “at midnight”, “at lunchtime”.
Examples of Using In/On/At as a Preposition of Time
In
- In the morning
- In the afternoon
- In the evening
- In January
- In February
- In March
- In April
- In May
- In June
- In July
- In August
- In September
- In October
- In November
- In December
- In the spring
- In the summer
- In the fall
- In the winter
- In 1990
- In 2021
- In the 21st century
- In the 1980s
- In the Middle Ages
- In a moment
- In a minute
- In an hour
- In two weeks
- In a decade
- In a millennium
On
- On Monday
- On Tuesday
- On Wednesday
- On Thursday
- On Friday
- On Saturday
- On Sunday
- On the weekend
- On Christmas Day
- On New Year’s Day
- On my birthday
- On July 4th
- On Halloween
- On Thanksgiving
- On February 14th
- On the first day
- On the last day
- On Independence Day
- On Easter Sunday
- On Mother’s Day
- On Father’s Day
- On Memorial Day
- On Labor Day
- On Columbus Day
- On Veterans Day
- On April Fools’ Day
- On Earth Day
- On Flag Day
- On Valentine’s Day
- On the day of the exam
At
- At noon
- At midnight
- At 6 am
- At 7 pm
- At lunchtime
- At dinner time
- At breakfast
- At sunrise
- At sunset
- At the moment
- At the same time
- At bedtime
- At the start
- At the end
- At the beginning of the hour
- At the stroke of midnight
- At the crack of dawn
- At halftime
- At the deadline
- At the hour
- At 10:15
- At 12:30
- At 3:45
- At 5:00 sharp
- At this instant
- At the appointed time
- At the exact moment
- At the peak hour
- At the right time
- At the break of day
Using In/On/At as a Preposition of Place
“In”, “on”, and “at” also serve as prepositions of place, helping to describe the location or position of an object or person:
- In is used to indicate that something is inside or within a larger area or volume, such as “in a room”, “in a building”, “in the water”.
- On refers to a surface or a position that is directly above and touching something, like “on the table”, “on the wall”, “on the floor”.
- At is used to point to a specific point or location, often more precise than “in” or “on”. It can be used for places where specific activities happen, such as “at the bus stop”, “at the door”, “at the cinema”.
Examples of Using In/On/At as a Preposition of Place
In
- In the room
- In a building
- In a garden
- In the house
- In the city
- In Paris
- In a country
- In the United States
- In the pool
- In the ocean
- In a box
- In a drawer
- In a bag
- In the car
- In a book
- In the newspaper
- In a magazine
- In a picture
- In the mirror
- In a park
- In the forest
- In the mountains
- In a valley
- In the desert
- In a cave
- In a tunnel
- In the sky
- In space
- In a lane
- In the world
On
- On the table
- On the wall
- On the floor
- On a shelf
- On a map
- On the menu
- On a list
- On a page
- On the beach
- On the road
- On a path
- On a bridge
- On an island
- On the coast
- On the border
- On the horizon
- On a mountain
- On a roof
- On the ceiling
- On a chair
- On a bed
- On a train
- On a plane
- On a boat
- On a bus
- On a bike
- On a horse
- On a balcony
- On a deck
- On a screen
At
- At the door
- At the window
- At the entrance
- At the exit
- At the front
- At the back
- At the top
- At the bottom
- At the side
- At the edge
- At the corner
- At the end
- At the beginning
- At the center
- At the front desk
- At the counter
- At the gate
- At the station
- At the airport
- At the harbor
- At the bus stop
- At the train station
- At the post office
- At the bank
- At the supermarket
- At the library
- At the museum
- At the theater
- At the cinema
- At the park
