Prepositions of time

PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
AT
 
ON

We use at with times:
 
We use on with dates and days:

at 5 o’clock - at 11.45 - at midnight - at lunchtime
 
on 12 March - on Friday(s) - on Friday morning(s)

Tom usually gets up at 7 o’clock.
 
on Sunday afternoon(s) - on Saturday night(s)

We use at in these expressions:
 
 

at night - at Christmas - at the moment / at present - at the same time - at weekends - at the age of...
 
 

IN
 
DURING

We use in for longer periods of time:
 
We use during + noun to say when something happens:

in April - in 1986 - in winter - in the 19th century - in the 1970s - in the morning(s) / in the afternoon(s) / in the evening(s)
 
during the film - during our holiday - during the night

In + period of time = a time in the future:
 
I fell asleep during the film.

Jack will be back in a week.
 
We met a lot of interesting people during our holiday.

The train will leave in a few minutes.
 
 

 
 
 

In + how long it takes to do something:
 
 

I learned to drive in four weeks.
 
 

FOR
 
SINCE

We use for + a period of time:
 
We use since + a period of time:

for six years - for two hours - for a week
 
since April - since 1992 - since 8 o’ clock

I’ve lived in this house for six years. They have been watching TV for two hours.
 
It has been raining since one o’ clock. They’ve known each other since they were at school.

 
 
 

UNTIL
 
FROM - TO

 
 
 

We use until/till to sayhow long a situation continues:
 
We use from - to +beginning and end of a period:

Let’s wait until it stops raining. I stayed in beduntil half past nine.
 
Last evening we watched TV from 5 to 8 o’ clock.














PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
The course begins 
 7 January and ends 
 10 March. 2. I went to bed 
 midnight. 3. We arrived 
 5 o’ clock 
 the morning. 4. Mozart was born in Salzburg 
 1756. 5. Are you doing anything special 
 the weekend? 6. Hurry up! We have to go 
 five minutes. 7. I met Ann 
 Tuesday. 8. He has lived in India 
 two years. 9. I’ll phone you 
 Tuesday morning 
 about 10. 10. Tom’s grandmother died in 1987 
 the age of 81. 11. Jack’s brother is out of work 
 the moment. 12. The price of electricity is going up 
 October. 13. I haven’t seen him 
 Christmas. 14. 
 Sunday afternoons I usually get up late. 15. There are usually a lot of parties 
 New Years Eve.
1. I’ll be at the office 
 7 o’ clock. 2. I’ll be back 
 half an hour. 3. I suddenly felt ill 
 the examination. 4. They were working in the garden 
 3 o’clock 
seven o’clock. 5. Carol got married 
 1994. 6. The book was easy to read. So I read it 
 a day.  7. They have lived there 
 20 years. 8. We were at the party 
 midnight. 9. They were at school 
 2 o’ clock. 10. I saw him 
 the morning. 11. I did my homework 
 the evening. 12. She started dancing 
 6 and now she’s a great star. 13. He learned to drive a lorry 
 three weeks. 14. He waited 
 they were quiet. 15. In summer he always goes jogging 
 Sundays.
1. I like walking around the town 
 night. 2. Are you going to the cinema 
 Friday night? 3. I’ve been waiting 
 an hour. 4. Ann works hard 
 the week, so she likes to relax 
 week-ends. 5. I’ve been invited to a wedding 
 February 14th. 6. 
 the age of twelve he wrote his first play. 7. We have to leave 
 five minutes. 8. I’ve been waiting for her 
 an hour. 9. 
 spring they`re always