Unit 121: At/on/in (time)

English Grammar in Use With Answers » Unit 121: At/on/in (time)

Compare at, on and in:

They arrived at 5 o'clock.
They arrived on Friday.
They arrived in October. / They arrived in 1998.

We use:

at for the time of day

at five o'clock
at 11.45
at midnight
at lunchtime
at sunset
etc.

on for days and dates

on Friday / on Fridays
on 16 May 2009
on Christmas Day
on my birthday

in for longer periods (for example: months/years/seasons)

in October
in 1998
in the 18th century
in the past
in (the) winter
in the 1990s
in the Middle Ages
in (the) future

We use at in these expressions:

at night	I don't like working at night.
at the weekend / at weekends	Will you be here at the weekend?
at Christmas	Do you give each other presents at Christmas?
at the moment / at present	The manager isn't here at the moment / at present.
at the same time	Kate and I arrived at the same time.

We say:

in the morning(s) but on Friday morning(s)
in the afternoon(s) but on Sunday afternoon(s)
in the evening(s) but on Monday evening(s) etc.

I'll see you in the morning.
Do you work in the evenings?
I'll see you on Friday morning.
Do you work on Saturday evenings?

We do not use at/on/in before last/next/this/every:

I'll see you next Friday. (not on next Friday)
They got married last March.

In spoken English we often leave out on before days (Sunday/Monday etc.). So you can say:

I'll see you on Friday. or I'll see you Friday.
I don't work on Monday mornings. or I don't work Monday mornings.

In a few minutes / in six months etc.

The train will be leaving in a few minutes. (= a few minutes from now)
Andy has gone away. He'll be back in a week. (= a week from now)
They'll be here in a moment. (= a moment from now)

You can also say: in six months' time, in a week's time etc.

They're getting married in six months' time. or ... in six months.

We also use in ... to say how long it takes to do something:

I learnt to drive in four weeks. (= it took me four weeks to learn)

121.1 Put in at, on or in.

Mozart was born in Salzburg ⁽¹⁾ 1756.
I've been invited to a wedding ⁽²⁾ __________ 14 February.
Electricity prices are going up ⁽³⁾ __________ October.
⁽⁴⁾ __________ weekends, we often go for long walks in the country.
I haven't seen Kate for a few days. I last saw her ⁽⁵⁾ __________ Tuesday.
Jonathan is 63. He'll be retiring from his job ⁽⁶⁾ __________ two years' time.
I'm busy right now, but I'll be with you ⁽⁷⁾ __________ a moment.
My brother is an engineer, but he doesn't have a job ⁽⁸⁾ __________ the moment.
There are usually a lot of parties ⁽⁹⁾ __________ New Year's Eve.
I don't like driving ⁽¹⁰⁾ __________ night.
My car is being repaired at the garage. It will be ready ⁽¹¹⁾ __________ two hours.
My phone and the doorbell rang ⁽¹²⁾ __________ the same time.
Mary and David always go out for dinner ⁽¹³⁾ __________ their wedding anniversary.
It was a short book and easy to read. I read it ⁽¹⁴⁾ __________ a day.
⁽¹⁵⁾ __________ Saturday night I went to bed ⁽¹⁶⁾ __________ midnight.
We travelled overnight and arrived ⁽¹⁷⁾ __________ 5 o'clock ⁽¹⁸⁾ __________ the morning.
The course begins ⁽¹⁹⁾ __________ 7 January and ends sometime ⁽²⁰⁾ __________ April.
I might not be at home ⁽²¹⁾ __________ Tuesday morning, but I'll be there ⁽²²⁾ __________ the afternoon.

121.2 Complete the sentences. Use at, on or in + the following:

the evening
about 20 minutes
~~1492~~
the same time
the moment
21 July 1969
the 1920s
night
Saturdays
the Middle Ages
11 seconds

Columbus made his first voyage from Europe to America .
If the sky is clear, you can see the stars __________ .
After working hard during the day, I like to relax __________ .
Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon __________ .
It's difficult to listen if everyone is speaking __________ .
Jazz became popular in the United States __________ .
I'm just going out to the shop. I'll be back __________ .
'Can I speak to Dan?' 'I'm afraid he's busy __________ .'
Many of Europe's great cathedrals were built __________ .
Ben is a very fast runner. He can run 100 metres __________ .
Liz works from Monday to Friday. Sometimes she also works __________ .

121.3 Which is correct: a, b, or both of them?

a) I'll see you on Friday.
b) I'll see you Friday.
a) I'll see you on next Friday.
b) I'll see you next Friday.
a) Paul got married in April.
b) Paul got married April.
__________
a) They never go out on Sunday evenings.
b) They never go out Sunday evenings.
__________
a) We often have a short holiday on Christmas.
b) We often have a short holiday at Christmas.
__________
a) What are you doing the weekend?
b) What are you doing at the weekend?
__________
a) Will you be here on Tuesday?
b) Will you be here Tuesday?
__________
a) We were ill at the same time.
b) We were ill in the same time.
__________
a) Sue got married at 18 May 2008.
b) Sue got married on 18 May 2008.
__________
a) He left school last June.
b) He left school in last June.
__________

Answer Key

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