Prepositions of Time
These are some of the most important prepositions of time:
at; in; on; after; before; behind; by; during; for; from; into; under; pending; since; through; throughout; till; to; towards; until; with; within.
at, in and on
At
We use ‘at’ in the following cases:
with exact points of time
For example: at midnight, at sunrise, at sunset, at day break, at noon, at night, at dusk, at dawn, at midday, at 9 o’clock (i.e. clock time), at 9.45 etc.with other short periods that we think of as points
For example: at the end of March, at the beginning of the year, etc.
You will get your salary at the end of the month.
- with mealtimes
For example: at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner, etc.
Yesterday at breakfast, he told me he was leaving the company.
In
We use ‘in’ in the following cases:
with longer periods of time.
For example: morning, evening, afternoon, seasons (e.g. the spring), days, weeks, months, years, decades (e.g. the 1980’s or the 1980s), centuries (e.g. the 16th century), and other periods such as the week before Christmas, the hours before the test, etc.
In the summer you can only play in the evening.
In the days that followed his accident, we were in constant turmoil.when we talk about how long it will be before something happens.
Pattern: in + noun denoting a period of time (expression of time)
In a few minutes we will be arriving at Palam Airport, (In more formal situations, we can also use ‘within‘ instead of ‘in’)
‘in’ means exactly at or before the allotted time (while, ‘within’ means before the allotted time)
E.g. I will do it in 5 minutes. (i.e. before or at the end of 5 minutes)
I will do it within 5 minutes. (i.e. before the end of 5 minutes)
- We use ‘in’ with ‘the middle of…’
I guess he will be joining us some time in the middle of August.
On
To talk about a particular day, date, part of a particular day, or some special day (e.g. birthday) → We use ‘on’
We are leaving on Monday.
I have got a meeting on Monday morning.
Aanya’s birthday is on the 22nd.
I get my salary on the last day of the month.
I will present you with a new car on your birthday.
At vs. In Vs. On
As you would have noticed, we use ‘at’ with exact points of time, while we use ‘in’ with longer periods of time (Just as we use ‘at’ with smaller and ‘in’ with bigger places). But there are a few more differences in their use cases.
Let’s compare the use cases of ‘at’, ‘in’ and ‘on’, when they are used as preposition of time.
Use Case 1
We use ‘at’ to talk about exact points in a day/night, e.g. at noon, at sunrise etc.
We use ‘in’ to talk about longer periods of time in a day, e.g. in morning, in afternoon, in evening etc.
What are you going to do on/at the evening? (incorrect)
What are you going to do in the evening? (correct)
I will meet you under the tree at 7’o clock in the evening.
‘in’ is used with ‘morning/afternoon/evening’. But when a determiner or day/date is mentioned with ‘morning/evening/afternoon’, we use ‘on’.
Pattern: on + determiner + morning/evening/afternoon …..
We will have some drinks on Sunday afternoon.
We had some drinks on the evening of October, the 22nd.
Use Case 2
We use ‘at’ with night when we mean ‘when it is night’ or ‘each night‘.
While, we use ‘in’ with parts of the day, such as the morning, the evening, etc.
We should not go out on the streets at night.
Met department has predicted light showers in the afternoon.
When we talk about a particular night we use ‘in the night’.
I was having a severe headache in the night and had to call a doctor.
Use Case 3
Compare the following phrases:
- at the moment (i.e. now, at present)
- in a moment (i.e. in a short period of time)
He’s in the washroom at the moment.
He will be with you in a moment.
When not to use at, in and on
Use Case 1
We rarely use ‘at, in or on’ before the words ‘all, any, each, every, last, next, one, some, this, or that’ when these are followed by a time expression.
Compare the following sentences:
We will complete our homework in the morning. (correct)
They haven’t done anything in all morning. (incorrect)
They haven’t done anything all morning. (correct)
We will meet again on Monday. (correct)
I am going to Mewad on next Tuesday. (incorrect)
I am going to Mewad next Tuesday. (correct)
Use Case 2
We don’t use any preposition (e.g. at, in or on) before:
- today/tonight/daily, this morning, this afternoon, tonight
- tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the following day, the next day, tomorrow morning, tomorrow evening
- yesterday, the day before yesterday, yesterday evening, yesterday afternoon, last night
The weather was beautiful on yesterday. (incorrect)
The weather was beautiful yesterday. (correct)
He will play on tomorrow. (incorrect)
He will play tomorrow. (correct)
We arrived here on last night. (incorrect)
We arrived here last night. (correct)
Since
Concept 1
Since is used before a noun or phrase denoting some point of time.
Since is preceded by a verb in the perfect tenses.
I ate nothing since yesterday. (incorrect)
I have eaten nothing since yesterday. (correct)
He is in love with Ankita since childhood. (incorrect)
He has been in love with Ankita since childhood. (correct)
Let us consider what all counts as ‘Points of Time’:
Clock time: E.g. since 9 o’clock
Calendar time: E.g. since 1990s
Parts of the day: E.g. dawn, sunrise, day break, morning, noon, afternoon, evening, dusk/twilight, sunset, midnight
What have you done since dusk.Last month / week / year
She has been working hard since last month.
We have not made even a single mistake since last two years.Period of time + ago: E.g. 10 years ago.
Stages of life: childhood, adulthood, womanhood
Naming word as a time expression: departure / arrival / marriage /divorce / birth / death / ancient times.
Concept 2
Since – it can also be used to denote ‘reason’.
Since I was tired, I didn’t play the match.
For Vs. Since
For - denotes period of time
Since - denotes point of time
I have been living here for three years.
I have been living here since 2019.
From
‘from’ is not an adverb. When ‘from’ works as a preposition, it may mean:
From starting point of time
Pattern: from + time + to/till/until + time
I will be in the library from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m.From starting point of a place
Pattern: from + place + to + place
I drove all the way from Delhi to Mumbai.From some source
I came to know about her birthday from your card.
The leaves are falling from the apple tree.
During, Over, and Throughout
During and In
To talk about something that happens within a particular period of time → We use ‘during’ or ‘in’
That is, we can use either ‘in’ or ‘during’ for an event that happened at any general time within the given period of time (i.e. it’s not a one-off event that occurred at some specific point of time within that time period)
The population of Japan has actually fallen in the last decade. (correct)
The population of Japan has actually fallen during the last decade. (correct)
In the time that I was in that company, I only once missed my deadline. (correct)
During the time that I was in that company, I only once missed my deadline. (correct)
During Vs. In
Concept 1
We prefer to use ‘in’ (rather than ‘during’), to talk about an event which happened at a particular point of time in the given time period (i.e. that event occurred once at some particular time, and not again and again).
Monica lost her husband during the war. (incorrect)
Monica lost her husband in the war. (correct)
Concept 2
To emphasise that something continues for the whole of a particular period of time → We prefer ‘during’ (rather than ‘in’)
No-one was allowed to enter the conference room during the meeting. (i.e. during the whole of the meeting)
We can also use ‘throughout’ to express a similar meaning.
We had enough capital to keep running our business during the financial depression. (i.e. during the whole of the depression)
We had enough capital to keep running our business throughout the financial depression.
During and Over
To talk about an event or activity that goes on for a length of time within a period of time (either for some of that period or for the whole of it) → We can use ‘over or during’
Fiscal situation has been improving over/during the past few years.
I was so distracted by my personal problems that I don’t remember what happened over/during the meeting.
During Vs. Over
In contrast, to talk about an event or activity that happens within a period of time only for a little duration → We prefer ‘during’ (rather than ‘over’)
He coughed over the song recording. (incorrect)
He coughed during the song recording. (correct)
Over a dance rehearsal, she strained her ankle. (incorrect)
During a dance rehearsal, she strained her ankle. (correct)
During Vs. For
To say how long something continues (Period of time) → We use ‘for’
To say when something takes place (Point of time) → We use ‘during’
I have been waiting for you during three years. (incorrect)
I have been waiting for you for three years. (correct)
She did not eat anything for the journey. (incorrect)
She did not eat anything during the journey. (correct)
We can also use ‘while’ to showcase a point of time
During I was teaching, it started raining. (incorrect)
While I was teaching, it started raining. (correct)
By and Until
To say that something will happen or be achieved either before a particular time or at that time at the latest → We use ‘by’
To say that something will continue up to a particular point of time (from the beginning to the end) → We use ‘till/until’
I have to be at the studio by 3.30. (that’s when the recording starts.)
I have to be at the studio until/till 2.30. (I can’t leave before that time.)
He learned JavaScript by the age of 18. (he was an expert by that age.)
He learned JavaScript until/till the age of 18. (thereafter he stopped learning it.)
In negative sentences, ‘until’ means ‘not before’:
You mustn’t drink until you are 24.
Till Vs. To
‘till’ is used for time and ‘to’ is used for place.
He played till nine o’clock.
He ran to the end of the lane.
After and Before
After – it means later in time or place
Before – it means preceding in time
She came in the room after me.
I left the conference room before the meeting was over.
Behind
Behind – towards someone, in the back or later in time.
The bikes are moving behind the cyclists. (i.e. bikes are moving towards cyclists)
He hid behind the bushes. (i.e. at the back of bushes)
The flight was behind time. (i.e. later in time)
Extra Books and Tools
If you prefer to learn via books, or want some good English Grammar books for reference purposes, you may read this article which enlists some of the books recommended by us.