Learning prepositions can feel like a puzzle, but once you understand their roles, they fit perfectly! Let’s explore the prepositions of time—at, on, in, by, before, after, since, for, until, and during—and learn how to use them like a pro. 🚀

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1. Preposition "At" 🕒

Use at for specific points in time and short periods.

When to Use "At":

• Exact times:
  • “The meeting starts at 2:00 PM.”
• Festive periods (general):
  • “We visit family at Christmas.”
• Specific times of the day:
  • “I work best at night.”

Examples:

• “Let’s have lunch at noon.” 🕛
• “The fireworks begin at midnight.” 🎆

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2. Preposition "On" 📅

Use on for specific days and dates.

When to Use "On":

• Days of the week:
  • “We have a quiz on Friday.”
• Dates:
  • “The wedding is on July 15th.”
• Special occasions:
  • “Let’s meet on New Year’s Day.”

Examples:

• “I’ll see you on my birthday.” 🎉
• “We’ll travel on the weekend.” 🚗

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3. Preposition "In" 🗓️

Use in for longer periods like months, years, decades, or parts of the day.

When to Use "In":

• Months, years, or centuries:
  • “I was born in March.”
  • “That happened in 1990.”
• Parts of the day:
  • “He likes to jog in the morning.”

Examples:

• “We’ll start the project in two weeks.” 📆
• “Life was simpler in the 20th century.” 🌍

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4. Preposition "By" ⏳

Use by to show a deadline or time limit—it means "not later than."

When to Use "By":

• Deadline:
  • “Finish your homework by 8 PM.”
• Time markers:
  • “We’ll arrive by sunset.”

Examples:

• “The report must be submitted by tomorrow.” 📩
• “I’ll be home by the time you call.” 📞

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5. Preposition "Before" & "After" ⏮️⏭️

• Before means earlier than a specific time.
  • “We’ll have coffee before the meeting.”
• After means later than a specific time.
  • “Let’s grab dinner after work.”

Examples:

• “She always reviews her notes before an exam.” 📚
• “They went for ice cream after the movie.” 🍦

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6. Preposition "Since" & "For" 🕰️

• Since refers to a specific starting point in the past:
  • “I’ve lived here since 2010.”
• For refers to a duration of time:
  • “She has been studying English for 5 years.”

Examples:

• “We’ve been friends since childhood.” 🤝
• “He’s been working for three hours.” 💻

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7. Preposition "Until" & "During" ⏳

• Until shows an end point:
  • “The shop is open until 9 PM.”
• During refers to something happening within a specific time frame:
  • “It rained during the game.”

Examples:

• “I stayed awake until midnight.” 🌙
• “We met during the festival.” 🎡

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Quick Reference Table 📖

Preposition	Usage	Examples
At	Specific times or short periods	At 5 PM, at noon, at night
On	Days and dates	On Monday, on July 4th
In	Months, years, parts of the day, longer periods	In May, in the morning, in 2020
By	Deadlines, not later than	By 6 PM, by tomorrow
Before	Earlier than a specific time	Before the meeting, before lunch
After	Later than a specific time	After school, after dinner
Since	From a specific point in time until now	Since 2005, since yesterday
For	Duration of time	For 3 hours, for 2 weeks
Until	Up to a point in time	Until 9 PM, until sunrise
During	Within a specific time frame	During the concert, during lunch

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Practice Time! 🏆

Fill in the blanks:

1. The train leaves ___ 5 PM.
2. I’ve been waiting ___ an hour.
3. The concert starts ___ Saturday night.
4. He’ll arrive ___ the morning.
5. We stayed awake ___ midnight.

Answers:

1. at
2. for
3. on
4. in
5. until

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Fun Fact! 🤓

Did you know the word "preposition" literally means "placed before"? That’s because prepositions usually come before a noun or pronoun to show their relationship in time, place, or direction!