There are more than a dozen prepositions for timekeeping in English, and they are of three kinds: (1)
the prepositions for specific points of time, (2)
the prepositions for periods or extended time, and (3)
the prepositions for specific time frames.
Let’s now do a once-over of each of them to heighten our level of comfort in their usage:
The prepositions for specific points in time, namely “on,” “at,” “in,” and “after”: Use “on” with the days of the week: “They will come
on Sunday [
on Monday,
on Tuesday,
on Wednesday].”
Use “on” for specific dates: “The Marawi City firefights erupted
on May 23, 2017 [
on May 23,
on the 23rd of May,
on the 23rd].”
Use “at” with clocked time: “The traffic enforcers start work promptly
at 5:30 a.m.”
Use “at” with the following times of the day: “noon,” “night,” “midnight,” “sunrise,” and “sunset”: “The lovers first met
at noon [
at night,
at midnight,
at sunrise,
at sunset”].
Use “at” with major holidays as points of time, specifically those whose names don’t carry the word “Day”: “The family gets together
at Christmas [
at Easter,
at Thanksgiving].”
Use “in” with the following times of the day: “morning,” “afternoon,” “evening”: “Her work shift starts
in the morning [
in the afternoon,
in the evening].”
Use “in” with dates that don’t carry the specific calendar day: “The Filipinos declared their independence from Spain
in June 1896.”
Use “in” with months, years, decades, and centuries as points of time: “The Philippines regained independence
in July [
in 1946,
in the 1940s,
in the 20th century].”
Use “in” with the seasons as points of time: “The refugees sailed
in autumn [
in summer,
in spring,
in winter].”
Use “after” with events that happen later than another event or point of time: “Easter Sunday
in Christendom comes after a solemn Holy Week.”
The prepositions for periods or extended time, namely “since,” “for,” “by,” “from...to,” “from...until,” “during,” “within,” “between,” and “beyond”:Use “since” with an event that happens at some time or continuously after another time or event: “She has been missing her husband
since he left for Dubai.”
Use “for” with particular durations: “We were together
for two months.”
Use “by” with an act completed or to be completed by a certain time: “The contract will expire
by June.”
Use “from...to” to refer to the beginning and end of an activity or event: “Their marathon meeting lasted from Monday to Thursday.”
Use “from...until” to refer to the beginning of one period up to the beginning of another: “The couple ignored each other
from summer
until winter.”
Use “during” to refer to a period of time in which an event happens or an activity is done: “The rivals badmouthed each other
during the caucus.”
Use “between” to refer to an action that takes place between the beginning and the end of a period: “The board will decide
between now and tomorrow.”
Use “within” to refer to an action that must take place or be completed within a given period: “We must fly to Tokyo
within the week.”
Use “beyond” to refer to a period of time after a particular event has taken place or a particular time has elapsed: “Absolutely no entries will be accepted
beyond the deadline.”
The prepositions for specific time frames: Use “in” with the three basic time frames: “past,” “present,” “future”: “He was a successful entrepreneur
in the past.” “She has no job
in the present (currently, though, “...at present” is the preferred usage).” “
In the future, please pay your electric bills promptly.”
Use “in” with prescribed time periods: “The counting may be completed
in three days [
in a week,
in 15 days].”
Next week, we’ll take up for last the prepositions that establish logical relationships.
(Next:
The preposition as another type of functional connective - 5) July 6, 2017
This essay, 1046th of a series, appeared in the weekly column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Education Section of The Manila Times
, June 29, 2017 issue (print edition only), © 2017 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.