16 a.
as idiomatic expression with preposition of place on, such as on the left on the right or on the left-hand side, on the ground floor, on the first floor, on a
list, for example Her flat is on the second floor of that building. b.
to indicate location on a small area, for example Jack spent all his holiday on a small island.
c. to indicate enclosure in a geographical map, such as on the coast, on a river,
on a road, for example London is on the River Thames.
b. Prepositions at, in, and on as Prepositions of Time
There are many prepositions of time in English. These prepositions express relationship in time. Some prepositions of time indicate a point in time, and some
of them indicate duration. “Prepositions of time at, in, and on are to some extent parallel to the same items as positive prepositions of position, although in the time
sphere there are only two ‘dimension-types’, which are point of time and period of time” Quirk et al., 1972: 317. It should be noted that there are some restrictions
for the use of prepositions at, in and on. It could be explained as follows.
1 Preposition of Time at
Preposition at can be used for periods of identified vaguely, as in at that time, at breakfast, at night; as well as for short holiday periods, at Christmas, at
Easter Close, 1975: 174. At is used for points of time, chiefly clock-time, for example at ten o’clock, at 6.30 p.m., at noon; also, idiomatically for holiday
seasons for example at Christmas, at Easter referring to the season of Christmas Easter, not the day itself; and for the phrases at night, at the that time Quirk et
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17 al., 1972: 317. According to Murphy 2001: 240, preposition of time at is used
to indicate the time of day, for example in sentences We will cook for the dinner at 5 o’clock, I always hear something in the wardrobe at midnight, and He came and
sat beside me at lunchtime. According to Sinclair 1991: 14, in Collins Cobuild English guide 1 PREPOSITIONS, “you say that something happens at a particular
time to indicate when it happens, for example My last train leaves Euston at 11.30.”
2 Preposition of Time in
In can be used to indicate a period of time throughout the whole of which or within which something takes place, for example: some people have their main
meal at midday, others in the evening Close, 1975: 175. Preposition of time in is used to indicate periods of time, as seen in the sentence: In the evening, the wind
blows fast. According to Murphy 2001: 240, preposition of time in is used for longer periods for example, months years seasons, as seen in We will come to
your house in October.
3 Preposition of time on
“On is used before morning, afternoon, evening, and night when these periods are identified by the day of which they are apart, such as on Monday
evening, on the following evening, but in the evening” Close, 1975: 176. On is used with phrases referring to days, for example on Monday, on the following day,
on New Year’s Day. Quirk et al. 1972: 317 give a note that prepositional phrases like on Monday morning, on Saturday afternoon, on the following evening
illustrate an exceptional use of on with a complement referring to a part of a day,
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18 rather than a whole day. This use also extends to other cases where the time
segment is a part of a day, which is actually mentioned, for example on the morning of 1
st
June. According to Murphy 2001: 240, preposition of time on is used for days and dates, as seen in sentences: I have promised my grandmother to
come to her house on Friday; On 12 March 1991, my father died in a car accident; I have many presents on Christmas Day.
c. Potential Problems in Mastering Prepositions at, in, and on
