Prepositions of Time and Place: At, In, On Explained Clearly

Prepositions like at, in, and on are small words that make a big difference in English.
They show time (when something happens) and place (where something happens).

Many learners mix them up — but don’t worry!
This blog will help you understand their rules, meanings, and easy examples so you never get them wrong again.

⏰ Part 1 – Prepositions of Time: At, In, On

🕐 1️⃣ At – for exact times

Use at to talk about a specific time of day.

Examples:

The class starts at 9 a.m.
I sleep at midnight.
We met at lunch time.

💡 Remember: “At” = exact point in time.

📅 2️⃣ On – for days and dates

Use on when talking about days of the week or specific dates.

Examples:

The meeting is on Monday.
My birthday is on 5th March.
We’ll go out on the weekend. (British English)

💡 Remember: “On” = days and dates.

🗓️ 3️⃣ In – for months, years, seasons, and longer periods

Use in for months, years, centuries, and periods of the day.

Examples:

We have holidays in December.
She was born in 2002.
Flowers bloom in spring.
I study English in the morning.

💡 Remember: “In” = longer period of time.

📍 Part 2 – Prepositions of Place: At, In, On

🏫 1️⃣ At – for a specific point or location

Use at when referring to an exact place or address.

Examples:

She is waiting at the bus stop.
Meet me at the door.
He lives at 25 Park Street.

💡 Remember: “At” = a specific point on a map.

🏙️ 2️⃣ In – for enclosed spaces or areas

Use in for cities, countries, rooms, buildings, or enclosed spaces.

Examples:

I live in Kolkata.
The kids are playing in the garden.
She works in an office.

💡 Remember: “In” = inside or within an area.

🏠 3️⃣ On – for surfaces or positions above something

Use on when something is touching a surface or on top of it.

Examples:

The book is on the table.
There’s a picture on the wall.
He sat on the floor.

💡 Remember: “On” = touching a surface or top position.

🧠 Quick Summary Chart

Preposition	Time	Place
At	Exact time (at 5 p.m., at night)	Specific point (at the station)
On	Days & dates (on Monday, on 14 Feb)	Surfaces (on the wall, on the table)
In	Months, years, seasons (in June, in 2025)	Enclosed areas (in India, in the room)

📝 Practice Exercise

Fill in the blanks with at, in, or on:

The movie starts ___ 6 p.m.
My birthday is ___ July.
He lives ___ Mumbai.
The keys are ___ the table.
We met ___ Monday morning.

Answers:

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