Section 1 of 3
Prepositions of Time
The correct preposition for time depends on the type of time reference.
✓ Rules
8- 1
AT: specific times, precise moments — at 9 o'clock, at the end, at this point
- 2
ON: days and specific dates — on Monday, on 5 March, on the following day
- 3
IN: months, years, decades, centuries, periods — in 2010, in the 1990s, in March, in the future
- 4
BY: deadlines and endpoints — by 2030, by the end of the period, by then
- 5
DURING: throughout a period — during the period, during the 20th century
- 6
BETWEEN ... AND: defining a range — between 2000 and 2020
- 7
OVER: across a span of time — over the period, over the next decade, over time
- 8
THROUGHOUT: from start to finish — throughout the period, throughout the year
Examples
4Correct
The figures rose sharply between 2005 and 2015.
Two endpoints = 'between...and'
Correct
By 2020, the proportion had almost doubled.
Endpoint = 'by'
Correct
During the period, oil consumption fluctuated considerably.
Throughout a span = 'during'
Incorrect
In Monday the figures increased.
Correct
On Monday the figures increased.
Day = 'on'