|
|
|||||
SUMMARY OF PUNCTUATION MARKS
Prepositions
of Place:
at, in, on
In general, we use:
- at for a POINT
- in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
- on for a SURFACE
| at | in | on |
| POINT | ENCLOSED SPACE | SURFACE |
| at the corner | in the garden | on the wall |
| at the bus stop | in London | on the ceiling |
| at the door | in France | on the door |
| at the top of the page | in a box | on the cover |
| at the end of the road | in my pocket | on the floor |
| at the entrance | in my wallet | on the carpet |
| at the crossroads | in a building | on the menu |
| at the entrance | in a car | on a page |
Look at these examples:
-
Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.
-
The shop is at the end of the street.
-
My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.
-
When will you arrive at the office?
-
Do you work in an office?
-
I have a meeting in New York.
-
Do you live in Japan?
-
Jupiter is in the Solar System.
-
The author's name is on the cover of the book.
-
There are no prices on this menu.
-
You are standing on my foot.
-
There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.
-
I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.
Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:
| at | in | on |
| at home | in a car | on a bus |
| at work | in a taxi | on a train |
| at school | in a helicopter | on a plane |
| at university | in a boat | on a ship |
| at college | in a lift (elevator) | on a bicycle, on a motorbike |
| at the top | in the newspaper | on a horse, on an elephant |
| at the bottom | in the sky | on the radio, on television |
| at the side | in a row | on the left, on the right |
| at reception | in Oxford Street | on the way |
Prepositions of Time:
at, in, on
We use:
- at for a PRECISE TIME
- in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
- on for DAYS and DATES
| at | in | on |
| PRECISE TIME | MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS | DAYS and DATES |
| at 3 o'clock | in May | on Sunday |
| at 10.30am | in summer | on Tuesdays |
| at noon | in the summer | on 6 March |
| at dinnertime | in 1990 | on 25 Dec. 2010 |
| at bedtime | in the 1990s | on Christmas Day |
| at sunrise | in the next century | on Independence Day |
| at sunset | in the Ice Age | on my birthday |
| at the moment | in the past/future | on New Year's Eve |
Look at these examples:
- I have a meeting at 9am.
- The shop closes at midnight.
- Jane went home at lunchtime.
- In England, it often snows in December.
- Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
- There should be a lot of progress in the next century.
- Do you work on Mondays?
- Her birthday is on 20 November.
- Where will you be on New Year's Day?
Notice the use of the
preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:
Example
| Expression | |
| at night | The stars shine at night. |
| at the weekend | I don't usually work at the weekend. |
| at Christmas/Easter | I stay with my family at Christmas. |
| at the same time | We finished the test at the same time. |
| at present | He's not home at present. Try later. |
Notice the use of the
prepositions of time in and on in these
common expressions:
| in | on |
| in the morning | on Tuesday morning |
| in the mornings | on Saturday mornings |
| in the afternoon(s) | on Sunday afternoons |
| in the evening(s) | on Monday evening |
When we say last, next,
every, this we do not also use at, in, on.
- I went to London last June. (not in last June)
- He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
- I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
- We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)