Prepositions of time: on, in, at
Summary:
At – precise time 4:40 am / at midnight
On – days and dates Sunday / March 11th
In – longer periods of time July/ winter
At + specific time
I get up at 7 o’clock
The movie starts at 8
Midnight
Lunchtime
Noon
Dinnertime
On + days
On + Dates
On + Holidays
I will visit you on Wednesday.
Where were you on Friday?
The exam is on the 16th
On Christmas
On thanksgiving
On my birthday
On the weekend***
In + months
In + years
In + the + decade
In + the + century
In + seasons
In + time periods/ times of day
My birthday is in January
Im leaving chile in September
The titanic sank in 1912
Life was difficult in the 1940s
She will be there in three hours
In spring, summer, fall, winter
In the morning
In the afternoon
In he evening
Others:
Since – reference a point or period in the past 7am / last Sunday/ I was 5 years old
For – the length of time six years/ a while
Collocation work + preposition:
Work + in (field or sector in a company)
Work at (a place)
Work for (a person)
Company for / at (I work at or for apple)
Work in finance / HR department
Work at a hospital
Work for my boss
At: used for a job or a position
Prepositions of place: on, in at
In – physical locations/ rooms/ cities/ countries/ area or spaces/ containers/ closed personal
transport/ long stays.
In a taxi,
in a boat* ,
in Chinatown,
in a helicopter
in a truck
in a car
In san diego
In Italy
In Europe
In the north/ south/ east/ west
In College *
In Prison *
In the hospital
In Trouble
In the box
In the shelf
In the drawer
In the closet
On – surfaces / islands/ public transport/ open transport/ street
On the desk / floor/ wall
On the bus
On a plane
On a train
On a tram
On a ferry
On a bicycle
On a horse
On a boat*
Streets
Paths / way
Floors (in a building)
At – locations (answers the question “where are you?”) places with addresses/ specific positions
At work
At home
At the train station
He’s waiting at the entrance
I will sit at the back of the room
Im at the cinema
At a restaurant
At the back
At the bottom of the ocean
At the end of the tunnel
To answer: “where are you going?” use “to”
To school
To work
To the beach
To the park
“home” and “ downtown” use no preposition.
Common verb + preposition collocations
To *** For At From
Adapt to Admire for Aim at Abstain from
Add to Apologize for Arrive at Borrow from
Agree to Apply for Glance at Escape from
Apologize to Ask for Hint at Graduate
Belong to Blame for Laugh at from
Consent to Care for Look at Hide from
Devote to Excuse for Marvel at Infer from
Happen to Head for Peer at Prevent from
Lead to Long for Point at Prohibit from
Listen to Pay for Smile at Protect from
Objeto to Pray for Stare at Recover from
React to Prepare for Wink at Rescue from
Refer to Scold for Resign from
Reply to Search for Retire from
Speak to Vote for Save from
Talk to Wait for Separate from
Turn to Wish for Stem from
Compare to Work for Suffer from
On About With In
Agree on Argue about Agree with Absorb in
Base on Ask about Argue with Arrive in
Blame on Be about Begin with Believe in
Comment on Care about Collide with Confide in
Concentrate Concern Charge with Implicate in
on about Coincide with Involve in
Congratulate Decide about Collide with Participate in
on Dream about Comply with Result in
Count on Forget about Confront with Specialize in
Depend on Know about Confuse with Succeed in
Elaborate on Laugh about Cover with Trust in
Impose on Protest about Deal with
Insist on Think about Discuss with
Play on Worry about
Rely on
Up
Bring up
Grow up
Movement verbs: Go, come, drive, take, fly, walk, run, get, bring
To: most places
We went to Paris
Let’s go to a restaurant
I have never been to Italy
Exception:
The kids ran home
We drove here/ there last time
I want to go outside/ inside
Lets go upstairs/downstairs
How?
By: transport
I got home here by car, by, train
On: foot
It takes ten minutes on foot
Events: on, in, at
On: travel events
Im on a journey flight
Im on a business trip
In: normal part of your day
I am in a lesson
I am in a meeting
At: events people travel to
Im at a party, concert, a conference, a football match
Source of information: in, on
In: documents and books/ created works/ parts of docs
It’s in the book, letter, email
Its in the magazine, newspaper
Its in the film, picture, painting
Its in chapter 1, the first paragraph
On: digital/ pages/ maps
Its on the internet, on Wikipedia, on the radio, on TV, my phone
On page 21/ on the front cover
On the map
Types of prepositions
Time When something happens In on at after during from
before
place Position or location In on at behind under over
between beside near,
upstairs, downstairs, outside,
inside
Direction Direction or destination Towards, through, into, from,
something is moving towards across, over, around
Manner Way things happen or means By, with, like, in, on
by which they happen
Agent Action conducted by one By, with
thing on another
Measure Quantity of something Of, by, at
Source Origin of something By, from, of
possession Indicates owenership To, with, from, of
