English - prepositions - General overview

Question 1

Talking about time - when do you use at, in, on?

Answer 1

Use at
with clock times
• at one o’clock
• at 6,30

with points of time in the day
• at midnight
• at noon
• at dawn
• at sunset

with holiday periods, meaning the few days around the holiday
• at Easter
• at Diwali

with weekend. in British English
• See you at the weekend!
• At weekends we go out.

Use in
with parts of the thy
• in the morning
• in the evening
• I never watch TV in the daytime.

with months. seasons. years. centuries
, in May
, in summertime
, in 2004
, in the 21st century

Use on
with dates and specific days
, on 29th July
• on Tuesday afternoons
• on the last day of term

with weekend. in American English
. We some times go there on weekends.

Question 2

Talking about position and place - when do you use at, in and on?

Answer 2

Use at
with particular positions or places
. at the end of the corridor
. at the back of the room
• at the corner of the street

to mean ‘next to’ or ‘beside’
. She sat at her desk
. He stopped me at the door.
with words for buildings, for example airport, university, restaurant,
art gallery
• at the airport
• at the Lyceum theatre
with city or place names, when you are talking about stopping during a
journey
. Does this train stop at Watford?
!! BUT otherwise use in - see below

Use in
with a position or place, when something or someone is inside a larger
thing such as a room
• in the bath
• in the kitchen
• in the garden
• in the doorway
with cities, counties, states, and countries
. When will you arrive in Tokyo?
. He lives in Germany.
. She’s working in Caflfornia.
with the names of squares, plazas etc
• in Times Square
Use on
with a position or place, when one thing is attached to or touching another
• a spot on the end of her nose
• a jacket on the back of a chair
with street names
• on the High Street
• on 42nd Street
• on Broadway