Prepositions "On", "At", and "In"
A preposition is a word that links a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to some other part of the sentence.
- to the office
- at the desk
- on the table
- in an hour
- about myself
A
preposition is used to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an
object.
On
Used to express
a surface of something:
- I put an egg on the kitchen table.
- The paper is on my desk.
Used to specify
days and dates:
- The garbage truck comes on
Wednesdays.
- I was born on the 14th day of June
in 1988.
Used to indicate
a device or machine, such as a phone or computer:
- He is on the phone right now.
- She has been on the computer since
this morning.
- My favorite movie will be on TV
tonight.
Used to indicate
a part of the body:
- The stick hit me on my shoulder.
- He kissed me on my cheek.
- I wear a ring on my finger.
Used to indicate
the state of something:
- Everything in this store is on
sale.
- The building is on fire.
At
Used to point
out specific time:
- I will meet you at 12 p.m.
- The bus will stop here at 5:45 p.m.
Used to indicate
a place:
- There is a party at the club house.
- There were hundreds of people at
the park.
- We saw a baseball game at the
stadium.
Used to indicate
an email address:
- Please email me at abc@defg.com.
Used to indicate
an activity:
- He laughed at my acting.
- I am good at drawing a portrait.
In
Used for
unspecific times during a day, month, season, year:
- She always reads newspapers in the
morning.
- In the summer, we have a rainy
season for three weeks.
- The new semester will start in
March.
Used to indicate
a location or place:
- She looked me directly in the eyes.
- I am currently staying in a hotel.
- My hometown is Los Angeles, which
is in California.
Used to indicate
a shape, color, or size:
- This painting is mostly in blue.
- The students stood in a circle.
- This jacket comes in four different
sizes.
Used to express
while doing something:
- In preparing for the final report,
we revised the tone three times.
- A catch phrase needs to be
impressive in marketing a product.
Used to indicate
a belief, opinion, interest, or feeling:
- I believe in the next life.
- We are not interested in gambling.
