Prepositions of Time: at, in, onWe use: - at for a PRECISE TIME
- in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
- on for DAYS and DATES
| at | in | on | | PRECISE TIME | MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS | DAYS and DATES | | at 3 o'clock | in May | on Sunday | | at 10.30am | in summer | on Tuesdays | | at noon | in the summer | on 6 March | | at dinnertime | in 1990 | on 25 Dec. 2010 | | at bedtime | in the 1990s | on Christmas Day | | at sunrise | in the next century | on Independence Day | | at sunset | in the Ice Age | on my birthday | | at the moment | in the past/future | on New Year's Eve |
Look at these examples: - I have a meeting at 9am.
- The shop closes at midnight.
- Jane went home at lunchtime.
- In England, it often snows in December.
- Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
- There should be a lot of progress in the next century.
- Do you work on Mondays?
- Her birthday is on 20 November.
- Where will you be on New Year's Day?
Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions: | Expression | Example |
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| at night | The stars shine at night. | | at the weekend | I don't usually work at the weekend. | | at Christmas/Easter | I stay with my family at Christmas. | | at the same time | We finished the test at the same time. | | at present | He's not home at present. Try later. |
Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions: | in | on | | in the morning | on Tuesday morning | | in the mornings | on Saturday mornings | | in the afternoon(s) | on Sunday afternoons | | in the evening(s) | on Monday evening |
When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on. - I went to London last June. (not in last June)
- He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
- I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
- We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)
See also Prepositions of Place: at, in, on 
For a full list of 150 prepositions, including one-word and complex prepositions, with 370 example sentences, try the English Club ebook English Prepositions Listed.
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