Flo-Joe for Cambridge English Exams

Cambridge English: Preliminary

Vocabulary practice for the Cambridge PET exam

  1. Home
  2. PET
  3. Grammar
  4. Prepositions of time: AT, IN, ON

Grammar: Prepositions of Time: AT, IN, ON

1: Work it Out

The prepositions 'at', 'in' and 'on' are often used to describe points in time. But do you know when each are used?

Look at these sentences. Pay attention to the words in bold and note when we use 'at', 'in' and 'on'.

My birthday is on the 11th May.
OK, I'll see you on Wednesday.
We're having a party on Christmas Eve.
Hurry up! The train leaves in a minute.
I've decided to go on a diet in December.
They started their business in 2010.
I'll be arriving in a few minutes.
I've got to go shopping in the morning.
The trees always look so pretty in the autumn.
We usually visit my grandmother at Christmas.
Football is on TV at 3.00.
Are you doing anything at the weekend?
I don't like going out at night.
I think I might be working on Saturday evening.

Now try the quiz below to check your ideas.

2: Spot the Difference

Complete each of the following sentences using 'at', 'in' or 'on':

A) Would you like to come to dinner Friday evening?
B) I like to relax with a good book the evening.
C) The roads are really busy the morning.
D) We don't have to go to school Monday morning as it's a holiday.
E) We all get up early Christmas Day.
F) We usually have 2 weeks holiday Christmas.
G) I'll be there 8.00.
H) I won't be long. I'll be finished a minute or two.
I) We get paid extra if we have to work night.
J) I'm starting university September.
K) My grandad was born 1958.
L) There's a school trip 11th June.

Well done. We generally use 'in' for longer periods of time such as seasons, years, centuries etc. We use 'on' for days and dates. 'At' is often used to indicate time of day and for religious festivals. ' or 'since I was a child (until now)', It is generally used with the present perfect or past perfect tenses.We use FOR to mean a period of time, such as 'for a few weeks' or 'for three hours'. We use SINCE to mean from a point in the past to a time later. For example, 'since we left the house (until now)' or 'since I was a child (until now)', It is generally used with the present perfect or past perfect tenses.Your answer has been saved. Check your answer

 

 

 

 

Study Tip, Grammar

Need more practice in prepositions of time? Write some sentences about your life using 'at', 'in' and 'on'.

* I was born in 2006.
* I like playing football at the weekend.
* I'm going out with my friends on Saturday.