Prepositions Of Time And Place
Prepositions of time
There are two types of time prepositions in English. First, we will take a look at the basic time prepositions at, in, and on. Secondly, we will cover the functional time prepositions after, before, by, during, for, from, in, to and until/till.
Basic Time Prepositions
The prepositions at, in and on are associated with specific time categories, which must be memorized. For example, we say “at 5 PM on Sunday in June” because English speakers use at with clock times, on with days, and in with months. Study the categories and the examples below.
| Preposition | Time Categories |
|---|---|
| at | clock times, exact times of day, night, holiday periods |
| in | months, years, morning/afternoon/evening, seasons, centuries, eras |
| on | days, dates, holidays, weekends, days+morning/afternoon/evening |
To help you understand the time categories listed above, here are a few real-life examples of at, in and on to get you started.
| At | In | On |
|---|---|---|
| at 3:45 PM | in June | on Tuesday |
| at noon | in August | on September 8, 1969 |
| at midnight | in the winter | on Christmas Eve |
| at sunrise | in the summer | on the day we met |
| at sunset | in the morning | on the weekend |
| at dawn | in the afternoon | on weekends |
| at Christmastime | in the Renaissance | on my birthday |
| at the close of day | in the ’70s | on Thanksgiving |
| at night | in the 14th century | on Friday mornings |
| at 6 o’clock | in 1922 | on the first day of the month |
On Christmas vs. At Christmas
Both on and at are used with holidays, but the meaning is different. On is used with specific days and at is used with holiday periods. For this reason, on Christmas means on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) whereas at Christmas means during the Christmas season (late December). There is a similar distinction with longer holidays, including Easter, Hanukkah, the New Year, Thanksgiving weekend, Chinese New Year etc.
Examples:
- On Christmas, we always eat dinner at my grandparents’ house. Christmas day
- I love all the decorations at Christmas. Christmastime
No Prepositions with Tomorrow, Yesterday, Next, and Last
Do not use on with the words tomorrow or yesterday. Similarly, do not use at, in or on with any of the expressions listed above when they follow the words next or last.
Examples:
- I went to the movies on yesterday. Not correct
- I went to the movies yesterday. Correct
- I went to the movies on last Tuesday. Not correct
- I went to the movies last Tuesday. Correct
- I graduated from college in last August. Not correct
- I graduated from college last August. Correct
Functional Time Prepositions
The following time prepositions have a more functional usage and show how two or more events relate to each other in time. For example,Lisa jogs before dinner means Lisa jogs first and eats dinner second. These time prepositions can be hard to translate and are best learned through conversation.
| Preposition | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| before | earlier than | Before work, Tony eats breakfast. |
| from… to | start time… end time | Tony works from 9 AM to 5 PM. |
| from… until/till | start time… end time | Tony works from 9 AM until 5 PM. |
| for | amount of time | Tony works for eight hours. |
| during | within a time | During the day, Tony eats a small snack and lunch. |
| by | before a point of time | By 5 PM, Tony is quite hungry again. |
| after | later than | After work, Tony goes home and eats dinner. |
| in | within an amount of time | Tony eats four times in twelve hours. |
To vs. Until vs. Till
Both to and until express similar ideas, but there is a difference in usage between the two words. To is a preposition, and it must be followed by a noun, most frequently a clock time such as 3:45 PM.
Until is both a preposition and an adverb, which means it is more flexible. Until can be followed by any time noun or even an entire clause. If you are confused, you can use until and that will always be right.
Till is a short, less formal version of until. Till (also written as ’til) is more common in spoken English, songs, and poetry.
Examples:
- Jane stayed from 3:30 to 5:30.
- Jane stayed from 3:30 until 5:30.
- Jane stayed until the end.
- Jane stayed till the end.
- Jane stayed until every person in the room had left.
- Jane stayed till every person in the room had left.
Watch & Learn
Location Prepositions
Sometimes, the location prepositions are logical. For example, in a house makes sense because you are physically standing inside the house. Other location prepositions are less logical. For example, on a bus means inside the bus rather than standing on top of the bus. Here is a list of location prepositions and the types of locations they are associated with. Scroll down for example sentences, usage notes, and location preposition exercises.
| Preposition | Locations |
|---|---|
| at | specific locations, addresses, companies, stores, events, parties, desks, counters |
| in | enclosed spaces, buildings, organizations, regions, water, deserts, mountain ranges, forests, cities, countries, continents, the sky, space, cars, groups of people, little boats |
| on | surfaces, roads, corners, shores, single mountains, islands, planets, public transportation, bikes, big boats, stairs, balconies, walkways |
| aboard | boats, planes, trains |
To help you understand the types of locations listed above, here are some real-life examples of at, in and on to get you started. There is a discussion of aboard further down the page.
| At | In | On |
|---|---|---|
| at work | in class | on the floor |
| at home | in college | on the ground |
| at the bank | in the hospital | on the freeway |
| at the beach | in my car | on the lawn |
| at 123 Main Street | in a taxi | on the subway |
| at IKEA | in a canoe | on the Titanic |
| at the party | in the sky | on the plane |
| at the bus stop | in the universe | on Mount Everest |
| at the ticket counter | in the army | on the stairs |
| at my desk | in the Rocky Mountains | on Mars |
| at the dinner table | in the Pacific | on the shore |
| at the exit | in the crowd | on the sidewalk |
| at the supermarket | in the theater | on the balcony |
| at the wedding | in China | on Catalina Island |
| at the post office | in Africa | on his motorcycle |
At School vs. In School
It’s important to remember that each preposition expresses an idea. For example, at expresses the idea of being at a specific location, whereas in expresses the idea of being in an institution. For this reason, at school and in school have two very difference meanings. Take a look at the examples below to understand the difference.
Examples:
- Tom wasn’t at home; he was at school. (at that location)
- Fred doesn’t have a job yet because he is still in school. (enrolled in the institution of school)
On a Street vs. In the Street
Again, different prepositions have different meanings. On is generally used for street locations (on Main Street), whereas in is used to talk about standing in the middle of the street.
Examples:
- My house was on Delaney Street. (at that location)
- The car almost hit him because he was in the street. (standing in the middle of the street)
At the Beach vs. On the Beach
As described above, you must remember the meanings of the prepositions. At the beach is referring to the location. On the beachsuggests the idea of being on the shore (standing on the sand.)
Examples:
- Sarah wasn’t at school; she was at the beach. (at that location)
- Lisa wasn’t in the ocean when she saw the shark. Luckily, she was on the beach. (on the sand)
In Water vs. On Water
Once again, the difference depends on the meaning of the prepositions. When you are in water, you are swimming in the water. However, when you are on water, you are floating on the surface of the water in a boat OR you are standing on the shore of that body of water. This applies to lakes, rivers, oceans and other bodies of water.
Examples:
- We were in the sea all day. (swimming)
- We were on the sea all day. (in a boat)
- I have a beautiful house on the sea. (on the shore)
In a Boat vs. On a Boat vs. Aboard a Boat
The word boat is a little more complicated. When English speakers are in small boats, they feel that they are inside something like a car, so they use the preposition in. On large boats or ships, it feels more like public transportation and they prefer to use the word on rather than in.
The preposition aboard is usually used in more formal language with large passenger vehicles such as planes, trains and ships and is often used to emphasize the moment you first step onto the vehicle. It is most commonly heard in the expression welcome aboard.
Examples:
- Jane was in a rowboat when she saw the whale. (small boat)
- Natalie was on a cruise ship when she saw the whale. (big boat)
- When everyone was aboard the ship, we departed. (more formal)
