18. Preposition in, on, and at

Preposition in, on, and at is divided into two, namely:
 

1. Preposition of Time; in, on, and at
2. Preposition of Place; in, on, and at

Here is the explanation.

1. Prepositions of Time: at, in, on

We use:

• at for a PRECISE TIME

• in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS

• on for DAYS and DATES

at	in	on
PRECISE TIME	MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS	DAYS and DATES
at 3 o'clock	in May	on Sunday
at 10.30am	in summer	on Tuesdays
at noon	in the summer	on 6 March
at dinnertime	in 1990	on 25 Dec. 2010
at bedtime	in the 1990s	on Christmas Day
at sunrise	in the next century	on Independence Day
at sunset	in the Ice Age	on my birthday
at the moment	in the past/future	on New Year's Eve

Look at these examples:

• I have a meeting at 9am.

• The shop closes at midnight.

• Jane went home at lunchtime.

• In England, it often snows in December.

• Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?

• There should be a lot of progress in the next century.

• Do you work on Mondays?

• Her birthday is on 20 November.

• Where will you be on New Year's Day?

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:

Expression	Example
at night	The stars shine at night.
at the weekend	I don't usually work at the weekend.
at Christmas/Easter	I stay with my family at Christmas.
at the same time	We finished the test at the same time.
at present	He's not home at present. Try later.

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

in	on
in the morning	on Tuesday morning
in the mornings	on Saturday mornings
in the afternoon(s)	on Sunday afternoons
in the evening(s)	on Monday evening

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.

• I went to London last June. (not in last June)

• He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)

• I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)

• We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)

2. Prepositions of Place: at, in, on

     In general, we use:

• at for a POINT

• in for an ENCLOSED SPACE

• on for a SURFACE

at	in	on
POINT	ENCLOSED SPACE	SURFACE
at the corner	in the garden	on the wall
at the bus stop	in London	on the ceiling
at the door	in France	on the door
at the top of the page	in a box	on the cover
at the end of the road	in my pocket	on the floor
at the entrance	in my wallet	on the carpet
at the crossroads	in a building	on the menu
at the front desk	in a car	on a page

Look at these examples:

• Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.

• The shop is at the end of the street.

• My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.

• When will you arrive at the office?

• Do you work in an office?

• I have a meeting in New York.

• Do you live in Japan?

• Jupiter is in the Solar System.

• The author's name is on the cover of the book.

• There are no prices on this menu.

• You are standing on my foot.

• There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.

• I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.

Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:

at	in	on
at home	in a car	on a bus
at work	in a taxi	on a train
at school	in a helicopter	on a plane
at university	in a boat	on a ship
at college	in a lift (elevator)	on a bicycle, on a motorbike
at the top	in the newspaper	on a horse, on an elephant
at the bottom	in the sky	on the radio, on television
at the side	in a row	on the left, on the right
at reception	in Oxford Street	on the way

17. Vocabulary around the house

Vocabulary around the house is an situation when we use English for everyday in our whole life and we spelled the grammar well. Begin in our daily life at home e.g. with our parents, friends, brother,sister, grandpa, grandma, or maybe with your teachers? Then, your neighbor, your lab partner, etc

 

 

Other Rooms

Attic	People store things in the attic.
Ballroom	A room in stately homes where rich people dance and concerts are held.
Box Room	A small room used for storage.
Cellar	Underneath the house.
Cloakroom	A small room where people put their coats.
Conservatory	A greenhouse attached to a house for the display of plants.
Dining Room	A room where people eat.
Drawing Room	A room in stately homes where rich people entertain.
Games Room	A room in large houses where games are played.
Hall	The entrance passage to a house.
Larder	A small room used for the storage of food.
Library	A room where books are kept.
Lounge	Another name for living room.
Music Room	A room where people play music.
Office	A room where people work.
Pantry	A small room used to store kitchen and dining items.
Par-lour	Old fashioned word for living room.
Sitting Room	Another name for living room.
Spare Room/ Guest Room	A room where guests sleep.
Toilet	A room where people go to the toilet (often known as WC)
Utility Room	A room where appliances such as washing machines are used.

Things you may find around the house

 

Things in a Bedroom

• alarm
• bed
• bedside table
• clock
• drawers
• dressing table
• lamp
• wardrobe, closet

Things in a Bathroom

• basin, sink
• bath
• mirror
• shower
• taps
• toilet
• towel rack

Things in a Kitchen

• bench
• cupboard
• dishwasher
• microwave
• oven, cooker
• pantry
• refrigerator, fridge
• sink
• stove, cook top
• tap

• washing machine

Things in a Living Room

• arm chair
• bookcase
• chairs
• coffee table
• fan
• foot rest
• heater
• lounge, sofa, couch
• magazine rack
• recliner
• sound system
• table
• telephone, phone
• television stand
• television, TV

Dialogue

Here is a conversation between Mrs Smith (Joan) and husband Steve

It's Saturday and Joan and Steve are decorating.
Reza	: Steve, you missed a bit.
Ais	: Where?
Reza	: Here, on the wall just by the window, you can see a patch of white.
Ais	: Oh yes, I see it. It's difficult in this light.
Reza	: I know, well at least we have finished this room, only five more to go.
Ais	: Are you sure you want to put wallpaper up in the lounge
Reza	:Yes, but don't worry, I'm really good at wallpapering. I just wish that John would decide on what he wants his room doing in.
Ais	:I know, it's difficult when you're a boy. At least he's grown out of Star Wars, I keep thinking he'll ask for red and black or something equally gruesome.
Reza	:Yes, but it is his room. I'm glad we decided not to move though. Maybe we should think about building an extension to the kitchen instead.
Ais	:One thing at a time please! Lets get this decorating over and done with first.
Reza	:Ha! Oh by the way you missed a bit by the door too!
Ais	:Hmm, thanks. Here's a brush.