Prepositions of Relationship, Purpose, and Possession

A preposition is a connecting word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word, usually the subject in a sentence. They are commonly used to give information about time or location.
Prepositions are usually placed after the verb and before the noun or pronoun they are associated with. The noun following the preposition is never the subject of a sentence.
In this lesson you'll learn some very common prepositions that are used for both place and time.

Prepositions of Both Place and Time

Some very common prepositions can be used to describe either where an object is located physically or when an event happens in time.

At

At is commonly used for specific places or locations or a specific point in time.

Examples

at the door
at the bus stop
They are at home.
at 123 Fourth Avenue (a specific location on the street)
The train leaves at 10:30.
The stars are visible at night.
at breakfast

In

In is used for enclosed spaces, cities, and countries, or longer periods (time).

Examples

in a room
in London
It gets colder in the winter.
She was born in September.
in 2026
in the morning

On

On refers to surfaces (place) or specific calendar days (time).

Examples

on the table
on the wall
on the street
on Fourth Avenue
My exam is on Tuesday.
on January First
on my birthday

By

By is used to indicate proximity to a place or a deadline (time).

Examples

I like to sit by the river.
I have to finish the book by Friday.

Before

Before indicates a position in front of something (place) or an earlier point (time).

Examples

He stood before the judge.
I'll do it before the end of the day.

After

After Indicates a position behind something or a later point in time.

Examples

The dog ran after the cat.
I usually go for a walk after lunch.

Between

Between refers to the space separating two objects or a period separating two points in time.

Examples

I am sitting between two apple trees.
It’s hard to find a taxi between 5:00 and 6:00 PM.

Around

Around indicates a surrounding location (place) or an approximate time (time).

Examples

What is around the corner?
I'll arrive around noon.