Prepositions showing time and place

The most frequently used prepositions in English are at, by, for, from, in, of, on, to, and with. Prepositions can be difficult to master because the differences among them are subtle and idiomatic. The chart below is limited to three troublesome prepositions that show time and place: at, on, and in.

Not every possible use is listed in the chart, so don’t be surprised when you encounter exceptions and idiomatic uses that you must learn one at a time. For example, in English a person rides in a car but on a bus, plane, train, or subway.

image

image

At, on, and in to show time and place

Showing time

AT at a specific time: at 7:20, at dawn, at dinner
ON on a specific day or date: on Tuesday, on June 4
IN

in a part of a 24-hour period: in the afternoon, in the daytime [but at night]

in a year or month: in 2008, in July

in a period of time: finished in three hours

Showing place

AT at a meeting place or location: at home, at the club

at the edge of something: sitting at the desk

at the corner of something: turning at the intersection

at a target: throwing the snowball at Lucy

ON on a surface: placed on the table, hanging on the wall

on a street: the house on Spring Street

on an electronic medium: on television, on the Internet

IN in an enclosed space: in the garage, in an envelope

in a geographic location: in San Diego, in Texas

in a print medium: in a book, in a magazine