1) Why do we use 'at', 'on' and 'in'?
We use 'at', 'on' and 'in' to describe when something happens.
Examples:
I wake up at eight o’clock.
We will meet on Saturday.
Christmas is in December.
2) Use of 'at', 'on' and 'in'
❖ We use 'at' with:
- A specific time.
Examples:
I get up at 7 o’clock.
The film starts at 8 a.m.
- A special day.
Example:
There are a lot of parties at Christmas.
- Times of meals.
Example:
Jane went home at lunchtime.
- 'Night', 'the weekend' and 'the moment'.
Examples:
You can see the stars at night.
She always sleeps late at the weekend.
I am tired at the moment.
❖ We use 'on' with:
- Days and dates.
Examples:
I will visit my grandmother on Friday.
Her birthday is on March the 27th.
The exam is on the 19th of April.
- Day + part of the day.
Example:
We will have a party on Friday afternoon.
- 'Birthday' and 'Christmas Day'.
Examples:
Do you have a birthday cake on your birthday?
I have to work on Christmas Day.
❖ We use 'in' with:
- Months, seasons and years.
Examples:
My birthday is in January.
We go to the beach in summer.
Shakespeare was born in 1564.
- Parts of the day.
Examples:
I drink coffee in the morning.
They watch films in the evening.
- Time period.
Examples:
She will be here in three hours.
The meeting starts in ten minutes.
- Decades and centuries.
Examples:
Life was difficult in the 1940s.
It was built in the 16th century.