Preposition of Place and Time: Understand Their Difference

Prepositions are the building block of English vocabulary. Without them, it is nearly impossible to construct meaningful sentences. Now, if you are a grammar nazi, you must know the basic difference between prepositions of place and time. They both come under the types of prepositions, where one indicates the location of an occurring action, while the other points out the time of an action, respectively. To understand the difference between these two in detail, check out this blog. 

Must Read: All About Prepositions

What are Prepositions? – Definition and Example

To begin with, a preposition is a word which is used in sentences that shows a relationship between nouns and pronouns, as well as other phrases. They can describe the location, position, direction, time or manner. 

Examples:

• He was talking about his vacation.
• She walked across the bridge.
• The ball is between the two chairs.

Quick Read: Use of Prepositions

Now, let’s talk about the two categories which come under prepositions in detail. These are prepositions of place and prepositions of time. 

Preposition of Place with Examples

Prepositions of place indicate the position or location of a place in relation to another object or place. The three most common prepositions in this are, at, on, below, under, in and several others.

Look at these examples below.

• The cat is under the table.
• The keys are on the table.
• They are meeting at the restaurant.
• The basement is below the ground floor.

Preposition of Time with Examples

The proposition of time refers to indicating when an action has happened or will take place in the future. Common prepositions include at, on, during, before etc. 

Example:

• I have a meeting at 3 o’clock.
• She was born in May.
• She studied for three hours.
• I’ve been working here since 2010.

Check Out These Blogs!

Use of For Preposition	Use of At On In Preposition
Prepositions of Place [‘in’, ‘on’, at’]	Use of At On In Preposition

Difference Between the Preposition of Place and Time

Here is the basic difference between the preposition of time and place. 

Feature	Preposition of Time	Preposition of Place
Definition	As indicated above, this preposition indicates when an action has happened or will take place.	It means the position or location of a place.
Prepositions Included	Common prepositions of time include at, on, in, for, since and during	Common prepositions of place include in, on, at, by, near, beside, under, above, between, below, among etc.
Example	1. I’ll see you in a few minutes. 2. Our anniversary is on the 15th of August.	1. The cup is on the table. 2. He sat beside his sister at the dinner table.

List of Prepositions of Place and Time Examples

Check out the list of prepositions of place along with its examples. 

Prepositions of Place	Examples
At	They will meet us at the restaurant.
On	The party is on Friday.
Beside	She sat beside her best friend during the movie.
Under	The treasure was hidden under the old oak tree.
Above	The bird is flying above the clouds.
Between	The playground is located between the library and the school.
Beside	The cat is sitting beside the fireplace, enjoying the warmth.

Here is the list of prepositions of time along with examples.

Prepositions of Time	Examples
At	At 8 o’clock, we will meet at the café for coffee.
On	The dog is sleeping on the bed
In	In the morning, the sun rises, casting a warm glow over the peaceful countryside.
Since	I have been studying Spanish since last year.
During	During the storm, we stayed indoors to stay safe.
Before	She always likes to have her morning coffee before starting work.

To practice these prepositions in detail, check out these exercises which will help you. 

Time Prepositions with Exhilarating Examples and Exercises

Preposition Class 2: Check Out Worksheet

Here is a small exercise on prepositions of place and time to test your knowledge:

Prepositions of Place Exercises

Choose the correct preposition to complete each sentence.

1. The cat is ___ the table.
2. The book is ___ the shelf.
3. The ball is ___ the box.
4. The keys are ___ the drawer.
5. The painting is ___ the wall.
6. The shoes are ___ the floor.
7. The vase is ___ the mantle.
8. The pencil is ___ the desk.

Answers:

1. On
2. On
3. In
4. In
5. On
6. On
7. On
8. On

Prepositions of Time Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate preposition of time:

1. I will meet you __ 6 o’clock.
2. The concert starts ______ 8 PM.
3. We have class ______ Monday mornings.
4. She likes to go for a walk ______ the evening.
5. The meeting is scheduled ______ Thursday.

Check Your Answers:

1. At
2. At
3. On
4. In
5. For

FAQs

Check Related Blogs!

Articles and Preposition	Beside & Besides Preposition Examples & How to Use
Appropriate Preposition List with Examples	English Grammar Preposition Exercises
30+ Fixed Prepositions List Starting with Alphabet A	Prepositions Class 8 Exercises

We hope this blog provided you with the difference between the preposition of place and time. To advance your grammar knowledge and read more informative blogs, check out our Learn English page and don’t forget to follow Leverage Edu.