Using the right preposition in English can be a problem. Here are the most common ones used to talk about time, place and transport.
Time
in a century
"There were many inventions in the twentieth century."
in a year
"She left school in 1987."
in a month
"He's leaving in January."
in a season
"We usually go on holiday in summer."
in a part of the day
"I'm leaving in the morning, not in the evening."
during or in – when something happens
"Muslims fast during / in Ramadan."
"It rained during / in the night."
for – how long something takes
"She played tennis for an hour."
at Christmas or at Easter
"Christians celebrate at Christmas and at Easter."
at the weekend
"I play tennis at the weekend."
at night
"I go to sleep at night."
at a time
"The appointment is at four o'clock in the afternoon."
on a day
"The appointment is on Monday."
on a date
"I'm leaving on 12 December."
Place
on or on top of
"The remote control is on the table."
above (higher than)
"Look at the clock above the mantelpiece."
under or underneath
"The keys are under the mat."
beneath (old fashioned word to mean under)
below (lower than)
"The chart below shows the annual figures."
"It was below freezing last night."
next to "A is next to B in the alphabet."
between "B is between A and C in the alphabet."
opposite
"The bank is opposite the supermarket. If you walk outside the bank, you can see the supermarket in front of you, on the other side of the road."
across
"Walk across the road, to the other side."
round / around
"It's round the corner – you can't see it from here."
Transport
on a train, a bus, a plane, a bicycle
get on / off a train / a bus / a plane / a bike
in a car
get in / out of a car
go by car / train / plane / bus
go on foot
50 comments on “Prepositions of time”
i have been saying 'on the weekend'. I didn't know that it's 'at the weekend'.
Actually, you're right too! British English speakers say "at the weekend" and American English speakers say "on the weekend".
Which sentence is correct:
1. The meeting held on 6 of the previous month.
2. The meeting held on 6 in the previous month.
I would say:
The meeting was held on the 6th of the previous month.
can I also use this sentence, He's leaving on January.
Use "in" instead of "on" if you only give the month. But you can say "… on 12 January".
Is there a difference between these two sentences :
1. The stadium was constructed in the year 2008.
2.The stadium had been constructed by the year 2008.
Queestion : how do we differentiate the usage of 'by' and 'in' in this case ?
"By" means "before", so you need the past perfect to show that the action had been completed before a time in the past. "In" just refers to the year.
we say in the morning, in the evening, in the afternoon but we say "at night" can you please explain that.
kristine mejia » No – it's just one of those strange things about English.
can't i say i play tennis during weekends
ANITA » You can say "During the weekend I played tennis", but if you are talking about a regular activity, say "At the weekend I play tennis".
you mention "at" the weekends. how about weekdays, what preposition to use?
can I use "at" to other holidays too? except Christmas and Easter
Tom » Yes – especially for religious holidays.
Ziggy » On (On Monday, on Wednesday etc)
Someone told me that "ON" should not be used when referring to days of the week, such as:
"I have an appointment on Monday"
should be
"I have an appointment Monday."
I thought the former is correct. Which one is?
Grace » British English speakers would probably always use "on", while you might not hear "on" from American English speakers.
I saw the above and quite not understand for the tense. I still not good in grammar.
" The stadium was constructed in the year 2008"
Can you please tell me this sentense stand for which tense.?
Thks & rgds
Panchar » It's the passive form of the past simple.
nihao?Clare
If I'd like to express" at the weekend evening" \ "in the weekend evening" or "on the weekend evening" which is true? "at the weekend evening is the same as on the weekend " right?
And I'd like to say "on Monday morning"or "in Monday morning" which is correct?
"I happened to pick up 5 grand RMB AT 3 P.M Monday 12th Dec"
This clause is true or false
THE TRANSPORT PREPOSITION
get on/off a boat/ship? "on a boat/ship" or "in a boat/ship"
I am confused…
Appreciate for your help
"At the weekend" is British English, and "on the weekend" is American English.
To talk about an evening at the weekend, say which day it is:
"On Sunday evening", "On Saturday evening".
Use "on" for days, so "on Monday morning".
You get on or off a boat or ship, but in a small boat such as a canoe or dinghy.
I will stay in office upto 8 Pm so How I would say it -
I am here upto 8 pm.
I will stay in office for an hour.
Are these two sentences correct?
I will stay here until 8 pm.
I will stay in the office for an hour.
How is date and day written is correct english:
1) Monday, the 2nd March, 2009
2) Monday, 2nd March, 2009
3) Monday, 2nd March 2009 ( ie without comma)
4) Monday, March 2, 2009
Pl reply
There are many ways you can write the date. Here are some of them:
March 2
2nd March
March 2, 2009
2 March 2009
Monday, 2nd March
Which preposition do you use in this sentence on or in?
On December 2006 I arrived to the U.S.A
In December 2006 I arrived to the U.S.A
I do not want to say which day in December, and I know that when you say the month and the day you use on, but when you say the year only you say in.
Thanks for your help
With months you use "in", so your second sentence is correct. Make sure you say "I arrived in the USA" (not "on").
is it ok to use shall or will?what is the difference?
i shall be there on time tomorrow or i will be there on time tomorrow.
You sometimes here British English speakers using "shall" to talk about future intentions, and they also use "shall" for offers and suggestions. But I think it's more common to use "will" to refer to the general future – especially in other places like the USA.
I'm very satisfied about these answers.
Is it proper to use "on tonight" instead of just simply "tonight"? For example," On tonight, we honor the Class of 2009." or… "We are happy to have a very distinguished speaker here on tonight."
Just say "tonight" unless your sentence needs "on" for another reason:
"We've got a great speaker on tonight" ( = on television)
Hi. I find this site really helpful…thanks.
Just wanna ask on writing dates; Is 'May 2nd' correct?
Yes!
Pl let me know this statement is correct or not
If link is not published what i will do in evening.
If the link is not published, what will I do in the evening / what will I do this evening?
1-Im puzzled about the usage of prepositions especially with naval transportations..
is it correct to say :
" Im going to London by ship" " the boarding time is at 3:30 exactly" " the ship was carrying 330 people onboard" " I'll be getting on the ship at 3:20"
2-and can u please explain when to use some prepositions such as "onto,into,upon,upto"…. and is there any difference between them when they come connected " onto,into…." and when they are separated by space " on to, in to"
3- " it rained during the night"
does during here means " 100% of the night" it was raining the whole night.
I just want to make sure if the following phrases are correct:
1- "I often chat with friends during/at/in the night."
2-"Im leaving at this weekend" or "im leaving this weekend"
3- " it is rare to have a windy day in spring"
4-"I was born on 14 October in 1989"
5- " her aunt usually plays Bowling on Thursady and on Friday" or " on Thursday and Friday"
6- " My private teacher always comes at 3:00 in the afternoon on Sunday at the weekend"
and to ask about " around" "surround" and wether if I used them corrrectly in the following sentences"
* " people surrounding/around/round me love me too much"
* " the thief can't escape anymore, the cops have already rounded/surrounded his house"
*" most of the company staff gather around thier new director to congratulate him"
thanks in advance
1. Yes, all correct.
2. You'll need to learn which verbs use these prepositions, rather than learning what the prepositions themselves mean. But "upto" as one word isn't correct.
3. During – not the same as "the whole". It rained during the night = at some point during the night.
1. ok
2. either "at the weekend" or "this weekend"
3. ok
4. delete "in" before 1989
5. .. usually goes bowling on Thursday and Friday
6 … on Sunday afternoon (delete "at the weekend")
1. ok
2. surrounded
3. ok
thanks for the great work clare… but I noticed something worths asking.
1-In my 5th example in last post :
why do I need to use " go bowling" instead of " play bowling"
is it because to play bowling I need to go to a club..
2-I think "surround" and "around" are similar in meaning and usage, am I right?
finally, sorry if i ask too much but this is my only reliable English source…
Some sports use "play": play football, play tennis, etc. These are often sports that involve a ball. But we use "go" with other sports or activities that don't involve a ball: go swimming, go skiing, go dancing. With bowling, I think we use "go" because it's an activity, rather than a sport.
"Surround" is also a verb, and it means that there is a reason why people are around you. Perhaps you're famous and they want to get close to you, or perhaps you have decided which people should be close to you. "Around" just means the things, people, or atmosphere next to you.
thank u too much for clearing the picture for me,,
it is new for me to know that sports with ball often take the verb play..
best regards
which is correct?
1) I always go there at 6pm on Mondays.
2) i always go there on MOndays at 6pm.
Both are fine.
is this correc? She is at lunch.
what preposition should I use with "lunch"?
Yes, correct. You could also say "She's on her lunch break".
Is this right?
California will introduce a ban- of -petrol powered cars.
She was amazed – of – the results
She was disappointed – on – the hight cost
a ban on
amazed at
disappointed in
Check the page on adjectives and prepositions for more examples.
Can I say " at the top of" something?
If it could, what is difference between "at the top of" and "on the top of"?
On the top of = positioned on the exact top of something
At the top of = in the highest area of something (not the exact highest point)
She's at the top of her class for Maths.
They put a flag on the top of the mountain.
is the sentenceI AM HOME correct in american english
"I'm home" is correct in both American and British English.
