Prepositions of time

Prepositions of time show when something happens: at 7 o'clock, on Monday, in June. since, for, during and until show a starting point, a length of time, an event and an end point.

Key facts

  • Time: at for clock times and exact moments: at 6 o'clock, at noon, at night.
  • on for days and dates: on Friday, on my birthday, on Saturday morning.
  • in for months, years, seasons and parts of the day: in March, in 2010, in winter, in the evening.
  • since + a starting point (since 2018), for + a length of time (for two years), during + an event (during the film), until + an end point (until 9 p.m.).

Worked examples

Example 1

Choose in, on or at: The lesson starts ___ 9 o'clock.

  1. 9 o'clock is a clock time.
  2. Clock times take at.
  3. The lesson starts at 9 o'clock.

Answer: at

Example 2

Choose in, on or at: My birthday is ___ July.

  1. at for a moment, on for a day, in for something longer.
  2. July is a month, a longer time, so we use in.
  3. My birthday is in July.

Answer: in

Example 3

Choose at, on or in: We go swimming ___ Saturday.

  1. Saturday is a day.
  2. We use on for days and dates: on Saturday.

Answer: on

Example 4

Choose since or for: We have lived here ___ six years.

  1. six years is a length of time, not a starting point.
  2. A length of time takes for. (A starting point would take since: since 2019.)
  3. We have lived here for six years.

Answer: for

Example 5

Choose during, for or until: We waited ___ ten minutes. Don't talk ___ the test. Stay here ___ I come back.

  1. for + a length of time: for ten minutes.
  2. during + an event; until + the moment it stops.

Answer: for, during, until

Example 6

Find the prepositional phrase of time: After lunch, we walked to the park.

  1. to the park tells us where, so it is a phrase of place.
  2. After lunch tells us when, so it is the phrase of time.

Answer: After lunch

Example 7

Correct the mistake: I have lived here since three years.

  1. three years is a length of time, not a starting point.
  2. A length of time takes for: for three years.

Answer: I have lived here for three years.

Example 8

Write one sentence with during and one with until.

  1. during + an event: something happens inside it.
  2. until + an end point: something goes on up to that moment.

Answer: Nobody spoke during the film. We stayed until the end.