Prepositions of time: at, in, on - Exercise 2 - Worksheet ... - Free Printable

Let's solve this "Prepositions of Time" worksheet step by step.

We are asked to sort the given time expressions into the correct column: At, In, or On. These prepositions are used differently depending on the type of time being referred to:

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🔹 Rules for Prepositions of Time:

- At – Used for specific times (e.g., hours, minutes, midday, midnight).
- Example: at 12 o'clock, at noon, at midnight

- In – Used for longer periods of time such as months, years, centuries, seasons, parts of the day (morning, afternoon, evening), and general time frames.
- Example: in the morning, in October, in 2002, in the summer

- On – Used for specific days or dates (e.g., days of the week, dates, holidays).
- Example: on Tuesday, on May 6th, on Christmas, on my birthday

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Now let’s go through each word and place it in the correct column.

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✔ Given Words:

1. the morning
2. Christmas
3. Tuesday
4. 2002
5. midnight
6. my birthday
7. the summer
8. 12 o'clock
9. the weekend
10. the 20th century
11. May 6th
12. the weekend (repeated)
13. October
14. Sunday
15. night
16. noon

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📌 Step-by-step Sorting:

#### ✔ At – Specific times:
- midnight → *at midnight*
- 12 o'clock → *at 12 o'clock*
- noon → *at noon*
- night → *at night* (Note: "at night" is a fixed expression)

> So: midnight, 12 o'clock, noon, night

#### ✔ In – Longer periods / general time:
- the morning → *in the morning* (already placed)
- the summer → *in the summer*
- 2002 → *in 2002*
- the 20th century → *in the 20th century*
- October → *in October*
- the weekend → *at the weekend*? Wait — actually, both “at” and “on” can be used, but "on the weekend" is more common in American English; "at the weekend" is British. But generally, "on the weekend" is preferred.

Wait! Let’s double-check "the weekend".

➡️ Actually, "on the weekend" is correct in most contexts (especially US English). But note: some sources accept "at the weekend" (UK). However, since we have two instances of "the weekend", and the preposition rule says "on" for specific days, and weekends are treated like specific time slots, "on the weekend" is better.

But here’s the catch: "the weekend" is not a specific day, so technically it's not "on" — but it's commonly used with "on".

However, "in the weekend" is not correct. So it should go under "on".

So, "the weekend" → on the weekend

But wait — "in" is used for parts of the day like morning, afternoon, etc., but "the weekend" is not a part of the day — it’s a period of days.

Actually, the best rule is:

- "On" is used for days and dates
- "The weekend" is treated as a specific period of days, so "on the weekend" is acceptable.

But "in" is not used for "the weekend".

So let’s reevaluate.

Let’s check each one carefully.

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Final Classification:

| Word | Preposition | Reason |
|------|-------------|--------|
| the morning | in | Part of the day → "in the morning" ✔ |
| Christmas | on | A specific holiday date → "on Christmas" ✔ |
| Tuesday | on | Day of the week → "on Tuesday" ✔ |
| 2002 | in | Year → "in 2002" ✔ |
| midnight | at | Specific time → "at midnight" ✔ |
| my birthday | on | Specific date → "on my birthday" ✔ |
| the summer | in | Season → "in the summer" ✔ |
| 12 o'clock | at | Specific time → "at 12 o'clock" ✔ |
| the weekend | on | Specific time period (Saturday/Sunday) → "on the weekend" ✔ |
| the 20th century | in | Long period → "in the 20th century" ✔ |
| May 6th | on | Specific date → "on May 6th" ✔ |
| the weekend | on | Same as above ✔ |
| October | in | Month → "in October" ✔ |
| Sunday | on | Day of the week → "on Sunday" ✔ |
| night | at | Fixed expression → "at night" ✔ |
| noon | at | Specific time → "at noon" ✔ |

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✔ Now fill in the table:

#### At
- midnight
- 12 o'clock
- noon
- night

#### In
- the morning
- the summer
- 2002
- the 20th century
- October

#### On
- Christmas
- Tuesday
- my birthday
- the weekend
- May 6th
- the weekend (duplicate)
- Sunday

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✔ Final Answer Table:

| At | In | On |
|----|----|----|
| midnight | the morning | Christmas |
| 12 o'clock | the summer | Tuesday |
| noon | 2002 | my birthday |
| night | the 20th century | the weekend |
| | October | May 6th |
| | | the weekend |
| | | Sunday |

> Note: The original worksheet already has "the morning" under In, which is correct.

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✔ Summary:

This exercise teaches how to use prepositions of time correctly based on whether the time is specific (at), general/long (in), or a particular day/date (on).

✔ Correct Usage Examples:
- I wake up at 7 o'clock.
- We go camping in the summer.
- She was born on Monday, May 6th.

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Let me know if you'd like a printable version or explanation for kids!