Definitions and Examples of Grammar in English - English Grammar for Teachers - General English Question and Answer - English Interview Quiz - General English for TNPSC Exams
Some prepositions show when something happens. They are called Prepositions of time.
At
For a certain moment or point in time
e.g
at seven o’clock
at noon
at midnight
at surrise
at sunset
at dawn
at dusk
at half-past seven
at about seven
at Christmas
at Easter
at Dewali
On
For a day, days, a date, dates, at the required time, at the exact minute
e.g
For Dates
on 6th
on 26th
For Days
on Saturday
on Monday
For Date, Months and Year
on December 25th
on 15th August, 1947
For Festivals
on Christmas day
on my birth day
At the required / exact time
on time
on the dot
In
For an event, seasons, length of time taken
e.g
For Months
in January
in December
For Years
in 1947
in 90’s
For seasons
in winter
in summer
For period of time
in the summer holiday
in the afternoon
At the required / exact time
on time
on the dot
Length of time taken
in five hours / days
in this week
For an event
in time
Try to get here in time to help me
Note: (in, on and at)
in the morning
in the afternoon
in the evening
on Sunday morning
on Monday afternoon
on Saturday evening
at night
on Monday night
By
By is used to denote the latest time by which something was or is to be done. The implication that it may be done before then, and not later.
e.g
by Sunday
not later than Sunday
on Sunday
exactly
Before / After
Before denotes previous to a time, and After denotes subsequent to a time.
e.g
before seven o’clock
after two o’clock
Since / For
Since is used for a point in time and For is used for period of time.
e.g
since last year
between a past time and now
for yesterday
during a length of time
Since means when and For means for how long
since 1980
for last week
since Christmas
for last month
since last Thursday
for six o’clock
since seven years
for seven days
since a long time
for seven months
During
During is used to express the idea, for part of a period
e.g
work during the day
sleep during the night
Note : The prepositions at, on, in are not used if the noun giving a time is preceded by an adjective.
e.g
I met him last Sunday
on last Sunday
She goes there every day
on every day
Note : Yesterday, today and tomorrow, besides being nouns, are also used as adverbs and therefore do not take a preposition.
e.g
He shall meet you tomorrow
not on tomorrow
She has come today
not on today
To, Of
To and OF denote minutes before the hour
e.g
It’s nine to ten
It’s nine of ten
Until, Within, Towards, Through
e.g
He slept through the day
They will be here within five minutes
The party will last until five
It was towards evening when she called
The Expression of Place or Location
Place of Residence : In
e.g
Many people live in cities
She lives in California
similarly : in a village, in the desert, in a country, in a city, but at the seaside and on an island
For villages and smaller towns : At
e.g
I met him at San Francisco
He lives in San Francisco
But if a person lives there, or because he happens to be there at the moment of speaking : in
Houses, Streets
For a kind of house or residence, when no specific one is mentioned, use in
e.g
She lives in a small house
He lives in a big house
(Similarly : in a modern house, in a hotel, in a cottage, in a flat, in a mansion, etc.) For a particular house or place of residence, use at.
He lives at 12 car street
For the names of streets and roads, use in
She lives in car street
Place of work
For the kind of place, use in if it is a building
His father works in a college
(Similarly : in an office, in a shop, in a factory, in a restaurant) But if it is not a building : use on
on a farm
on the railway
on an estate
If a particular place is indicated, at is generally used.
at the Town Hall
at the railway station
at the City General Hospital
For a particular room of department, use in
She is working in the French Department
The Expression of Direction
e.g
across
He goes across the road
into
He walks into the room
along
He rides along the road
out of
She goes out of the area
onto
Cat is jumping onto the table
through
The message sent through email
from
The train moves from London
away from
The train away from London
for
The plane is leaving for Spain
with
The boat sails with the wind
The Expression of Numbers
e.g
about (approximately)
There were about 200 people there
around (approximately)
There were around 200 people there
over (more than)
She has over a hundred books on that subject
above (more than)
She has above a hundred books on that subject
under (less than)
The car costs under a thousand dollars
between (higher than one number and lower than another)
The tickets will cost between twenty and twenty-five dollars
from (subtraction)
Three from ten equals seven
by (multiplication)
Three multiplied by four equals twelve
into (division)
Three into twelve equals four
The Expression of Weather
during
We stayed at home during the storm
in
The children played in the snow
on
I sit on the balcony on sunny mornings
during a flood
during an earthquake
in the good weather
in the cold water
on rainy weekends
on nice day
Some Important Phrases for on
on purpose
on holiday
on television
on the radio
on the phone
on fire
on time (not late)
on duty
on leave
on the corner
on the balcony
on the sofa
on the beach
on the left side
on his arm
Some Important Phrases for at
at (the age of) 20
at 50 killometers an hour
on business
at 100 degrees
at night or during the night
at the end of
at the moment
at the weekend
at the busstop
at the door
at the traffic lights
at the top of the page
at the bottom fo the page
at home
at work
at school
at college
at university
at the station
at the airport
at David’s house
at the doctor’s
at the butcher’s
at a conert
at a football match
at the kitchen sink
at the beach
good at English
angry at something
bad at grammar
Some Important Phrases for about
talk about
speak about
think about
hear about
know about
a book about
a question about
a programme about
Some Important Phrases for of
accused of
afraid of
approve of
sure of
aware of
boast of
careful of
careless of
cured of
die of
full of
glad of
proud of
take care of
get rid of
Some Important Differences in Prepositions
Made of and Made from
When one substance is changed into another, so that a new substance is produced, we use from, but when the original material is not actually changed, but is formed into some object, then we use of.