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Prepositions of Time and Place: At, In, On & To (PDF)

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Prepositions of time and place such as ‘at,’ ‘in,’ ‘on,’ and ‘to’ are important for expressing specific times and locations in English. Use ‘in’ for months, seasons, countries, cities, and times of the day. Use ‘at’ for specific times and places. Use ‘on’ for specific days and dates. Use ‘to’ with verbs indicating movement.

When to Use the Preposition “In”

Months of the Year:

I was born in May.
She left for school in June.
John will fly to Istanbul in August.

Seasons:

I like swimming in summer.
He writes poems in spring.
We take a vacation in summer.

Countries:

He lives in Turkey.
The company is located in Germany.
She went to school in Thailand.

Cities or Towns:

He has a house in Paris.
I was born in Seattle.
He works in Brazil.

Times of the Day:

You wake up early in the morning.
He goes to school in the afternoon.
Elise sometimes plays tennis in the evening.

Important Exception:

‘In the morning,’ ‘in the afternoon,’ ‘in the evening,’ but not ‘in the night.’ Instead, we say ‘at night.’

When to Use the Preposition “At”

Specific Times of the Day:

Let’s meet at 9 o’clock.
She has a meeting at 9:15.
He went to a picnic at night.

Specific Places in a City:

They met at school.
Let’s meet him at the library.
She works at a shop.

Note: In British English, “at the weekend” and “at weekends” are commonly used.

When to Use the Preposition “On”

Specific Days of the Week or Year:

They will meet on Sunday.
What do you do on New Year’s Day?
She played tennis on June 5th.

Note: In American English, “on the weekend” and “on weekends” are commonly used.

When to Use the Preposition “To”

With Verbs Indicating Movement:

She goes to home.
He returned to the school.
They are going to the restaurant.

Prepositions of Time and Place At, In, On & To

Example Story Using Prepositions of Time and Place

John decided to visit his friend in Paris. He planned to leave in August because the weather is perfect for sightseeing in summer. He booked his flight for the morning of August 5th. When he arrived at the airport, he realized he had forgotten his passport at home. After a quick trip back to his house, he returned to the airport just in time to catch his flight.

When John landed in Paris, he went straight to his friend’s house. They decided to go to a restaurant at night. The next day, they visited the famous landmarks in the city. John was excited to be in such a vibrant city in the summer, and he enjoyed every moment of his stay.