PREPOSITIONS OF TIME in, on, at

The preposition AT is used in the following descriptions of time:

With clock times:
My last train We left at The meeting starts
leaves at 10:30. midnight. at two thirty.
With specific times of day, or mealtimes:
I like to read the
He doesnt like Ill go shopping
children a story at
driving at night. at lunchtime.
bedtime.
With festivals:
Are you going
home at
Christmas/Easter?
In certain fixed expressions which refer to specific points in time:
Are you leaving at Hes unavailable We arrived at the
the weekend?** at present. same time.
I finish the
Shes working at
course at the end of
the moment.
April.
**Note that in American English, on the weekend is the correct form.

The preposition IN is used in the following descriptions of time:

With months, years, seasons, and longer periods of time:
I was born in The pool is The play is set in
1965. closed in winter. the Middle Ages.
Were going to He was famous Theyve done work
visit them in May. in the 1980s. for me in the past.
With periods of time during the day:
She usually has a
Hes leaving in the I tried to work in
sleep in the
morning. the evening.
afternoon(s).
To describe the amount of time needed to do something:
You can travel They managed to
there and back in a finish the job in two
day. weeks.
To indicate when something will happen in the future:
Shell be ready in Hes gone away but hell
a few minutes. be back in a couple of days.
The preposition ON is used in the following descriptions of time:
With days of the week, and parts of days of the week:
Were going to the
Ill see you on She usually
theatre on Wednesday
Friday. works on Mondays. evening.
Note that in spoken English, on is often omitted in this context, e.g.: Ill see
you Friday.
With dates:
The interview is He was born on
on 29th April. February 14th 1995.
With special days:
She was born on We move house I have an exam on
Valentines day. on Christmas Eve. my birthday.

If we examine these different aspects of usage for the three prepositions, a

general pattern emerges. At is generally used in reference to specific times on
the clock or points of time in the day. In generally refers to longer periods of
time, several hours or more. On is used with dates and named days of the week.

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE in, on, at

The preposition AT is used in the following descriptions of place/position:
With specific places/points in space:
I had a cup of
She kept the horse Theres a man at
coffee at Helens
at a nearby farm. the door.
(house/flat).
I saw her
Angies still at The index is at the
standing at the bus
home. back of the book.
stop.
Ill meet you at Turn right at the Write your name at
reception. traffic lights. the top of each page.
With public places and shops:
Janes at the Shall I meet you I studied German at
dentist/hairdresser. at the station? college/school/university.
We bought some
bread at the
supermarket.
With addresses:
They live at 70,
Duncombe Place.
 With events:
I met her at last years
conference. She wasnt at Simons
party.

The preposition ON is used in the following descriptions of place/position:

With surfaces, or things that can be thought of as surfaces:
Write the number
The letter is on my Youve got a dirty
down on a piece of
desk. mark on your jumper.
paper.
There was a
He had a large She placed her
beautiful painting on
spot on his nose. hand on my shoulder.
the wall.
The toy
department is on the
first floor.
With roads/streets, or other things that can be thought of as a line, e.g.:
rivers:
The bank is on the Koblenz is on the Bournemouth is on
corner of Kings Street. Rhine. the south coast.
Its the second
turning on the left.

The preposition IN is used in the following descriptions of place/position:

With geographical regions:
Driving in France Orgiva is a very
is very small village in the
straightforward. mountains.
With cities, towns and larger areas:
They were She works
Do you like living
having a picnic in the somewhere in the toy
in Nottingham?
park. department.
With buildings/rooms and places that can be thought of as surrounding a
person or object on all sides:
Theres a wedding
Ive left my bag in
Can you take a seat

in the church this in the waiting room
the office. afternoon. please?
Lots of people
were swimming in the
lake
With containers:
Theres fresh milk I think Ive got a The money is in the
 in the fridge. tissue in my pocket. top drawer of my desk.
With liquids and other substances, to show what they contain:
Do you take milk I can taste garlic Theres a lot of fat
in your coffee? in this sauce. in cheese and butter.
A general pattern again emerges if we consider these different aspects of usage. We can think
of at as one-dimensional, referring to a specific place or position in space. On is two
dimensional, referring to the position of something in relation to a surface. In is by contrast
three-dimensional, referring to the position of something in relation to the things that
surround it. Thinking of the prepositions in these terms helps us explain certain facts. For
instance, in is generally used for larger places and at for smaller, more specific places.