Prepositions of time: in / on / at

We use in, on, at for time.

One step at a time

Rules

Rule 1: in → big times
Use in with months, years, seasons and parts of the day: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening.
Pattern: in + month / year / season / the morning
Example: We go skiing in January.
Example: My brother was born in 2015.
Rule 2: on → days and dates
Use on with days, dates and special days (on my birthday). Also: on Sunday morning.
Pattern: on + day / date / special day
Example: We have a spelling test on Thursday.
Example: Republic Day is on October 29.
Rule 3: at → exact times
Use at with clock times. Also: at night, at noon, at midnight. For the weekend, American English says on the weekend; British English says at the weekend.
Pattern: at + time · at night / noon / midnight
Example: The lesson ends at quarter past ten.
Example: Bats fly at night.
Rule 4: Careful! morning but night
We say in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening — but at night.
Pattern: in the morning / afternoon / evening · at night
Example: I eat a sandwich in the afternoon.
Example: The city is quiet at night.

Position 9 of 18 topics at A1.