Tip 5
Time Prepositions
In the previous tip we learned a bit about prepositions and where to put them when constructing a question in English, but what happens when we need to use them in a normal sentence?
In fact, one of the most challenging things for non-native English speakers is using prepositions correctly, and especially when it comes to the preposition -in- -on- and -at-
This is because in many languages, this 3 words are translated into just 1 word.
Let’s look at the following examples and analyze them together to understand how to use these prepositions correctly:
- Rock’n’roll became popular in the 60’s
- Let’s meet at 7
- The workshop starts on Monday
While in some languages the at, on, in are represented by the same word – in English the usage is distinct:
- We use the preposition -in- when we talk about long periods of time such as years, months, and seasons.
- We use the preposition -on- for days mainly and for holidays.
- We use the preposition -at- for exact times and for the words noon, midnight, night.
- In – for long periods of time
- on – for days
- at – for exact time
So don’t let me catch you saying:
Let’s meet in 7 \ the workshop starts in Monday.
In the next tip, the second part of the equation – location prepositions (for at, on, in)
Good luck and see you in the next tip 🙂
