Mind Map: Prepositions of time (at/ on/ in)

Prepositions of time (at/in/on) can be confusing for English learners. To find out the differences, read the post:

We use: AT for the time of the day:
• At five o’clock
• At 11.45
• At midnight
• At lunchtime
• At sunset

We use: ON for days and dates
• On Friday/ on Fridays
• On 16 May 2013
• On Christmas Day
• On my birthday

We use: IN for longer periods (for example: months/years/seasons)
• In June
• In 2015
• In (the) winter
• In the 19th century
• In the past
• In the future
• In the Renaissance

We use AT in these expressions:
• At night
• At the weekend/ at weekends
• At Christmas
• At the moment/ at present
• At the same time

We say:
• In the morning(s)
• In the afternoon(s)
• In the evening(s)

But:
• On Friday morning(s)
• On Sunday afternoon(s)
• On Monday evening(s)

NB Most examples are taken from English Grammar in Use, third edition, Raymund Murphy, Cambridge University Press

Or you can simply memorise it 🙂