Prepositions Related to Time

IN
Use in for nonspecific times during a day, a month, a season, or a year.

• Times of the day:　in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening (but, we say at night)
• I like to go jogging in the morning.
• I like to take a nap in the afternoon.
• Month: in May, in January, in March
• I will start looking for a job in May.
• The days are short in December.
• Season: in winter, in spring
• There is so much pollen in spring.
• The cherry blossoms will bloom in spring.
• Years: in 1978, in 2004
• More than 771,000 business travelers visited Australia in 2005.
• Jenkins came to Japan in 2004.
• Her album was released in 2004.

Other uses of in + a time

• Decade: in the twenties, in the '90s
• Future: in a few weeks, in a couple of days, in six hours
  

ABOUT

Use about the + date (for approximate dates):

• about the 25th of December

Use around the + date (for approximate dates):

• around the 25th of December

ON

• Days of week: on Friday, on Monday, on Sundays
• The expo begins on Friday.
• Calendar days: on New Year's Day, on Christmas Day
• I stayed home on New Year's Day.
  
• Use on + ordinal of the day: on October 22nd, on April the 19th
• I will see you on Tuesday the 6th.
• Weekend(s): on the weekend, on weekends
  

AT

• Precise time: at 7 o'clock, at 6:15, at six o'clock, at 10:30, at two p.m.
• My flight departs at 2:30 p.m.
• The movie will start at 8:00.
• Night: at night
• Specific places: at school, at Roppongi Hills, at Starbucks
• Weekend(s): at the weekend, at weekends (British English)
  

OF

• Use of in this structure: at + the + a particular time in a week/month/year
• Meet me at a quarter of four. (Meet me at 3:45)
• I felt sick at the end of the week.
• I will quit my new job at the start of July.
• I graduated in the fall of 2005.
• I studied ikebana from August through November of 2005.
  

(This post is an updated version of an earlier post.)

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