150はあると言われている英語の前置詞の中でも、時間や場所を表現する際に頻出の”In”、”On”、”At”。これら３つの前置詞を、適切に使いこなせていますか？
本日のブログでは、英語ネイティブスピーカーが、”In”、”On”、”At”を使って、どのように時間や場所を表しているのか、整理してみました。

こういう場合はこの前置詞、という説明に合わせて、ネイティブにとって自然な例文を添えていますので例文ごと頭に入れてしまいましょう。

「ここはin？それともatを使うべき？」などと迷ったことがある方は必読です。

English prepositions can be annoying!

There are a lot of them (about 150), and it’s not always clear when to use which ones. Although there are many, three prepositions—in, on, and at—come up again and again.

Let’s look at how to use those three common prepositions to talk about time and place.

Prepositions of time
In
Centuries

→ e.g., the 20th century, the 1900s

There were a lot of advances in technology in the 20th century.

Decades

→ e.g., the 1970s, the ‘80s

In my opinion, the best music was made in the 1990s!

Years

→ e.g., 1981, 2010

I was born in 1987, so I’m a millennial.

Months

→ e.g., October, February

I love having a birthday in July because I can always have my party outdoors.

Weeks

→ e.g., 12 weeks, a week

Did you hear she’s having a baby? She’s due in 10 weeks!

Seasons

→ (the) winter, (the) spring, (the) summer, (the) fall/autumn

I hope we’re able to take a trip to Europe in the spring.

Periods of time

→ e.g., an hour, 48 hours

I’m busy right now but I can meet you for lunch in two hours.

Time of day

→ morning, afternoon, evening

I don’t think I’ll have time to finish my work today—I’ll do it in the morning.

On
Days/“the weekend”

→ e.g., Tuesday, the weekend

I have to go grocery shopping on the weekend.

Dates

→ e.g., June 18, March 5

I’m going to a Halloweeen party on December 30.

Specific days

→ e.g. our anniversary, the first day of school

He takes his wife out for dinner every year on their anniversary.

Day + time of day

→ e.g., Thursday afternoon, Friday night

I’m very nervous because I’m taking my driving test on Monday morning.

Holidays with “day”

→ e.g., Valentine’s Day, Christmas Day

A lot of people get together with family and friends on New Year’s Day.

At
Hours

→ e.g., 5 p.m., 7:45 a.m.

My son leaves for school every morning at 8:00 a.m.

Holidays without “day”

→ e.g., Easter, Thanksgiving

At Christmas, we like to decorate our house with colourful lights.

“Night” words

→ night, midnight, nighttime

These days, I never seem to be able to sleep at night!

Prepositions of place
In
Countries

→ e.g., Armenia, Mexico

My friend is Canadian but she’s been living in Korea for two years.

Cities

→ e.g., Tokyo, Nairobi

When I was in Barcelona, I loved going to the sidewalk cafés.

Neighbourhoods/districts

→ e.g., Chinatown, the shopping district

Have you ever seen the cherry trees blossoming in Nakameguro?

Enclosed spaces

→ e.g., car, bedroom

Ew! Can you please take your shoes off when you’re in my house?

On
Streets/avenues

→ e.g., 1st Street, Broadway Avenue

That old shoe store on 19th Street is finally closing down.

Surfaces

→ e.g., table, roof

Why do you always leave your dirty clothes on the floor?!

Transportation

→ e.g., boat, airplane (but not car)

Everyone on the bus is required to wear a protective mask.

Communication

→ e.g., video, phone

I heard on the radio that there was a car accident down the street.

At
Addresses

→ e.g., 3100 Vincent Street, 1234 Newberry Drive

I hope you can come to the party! It’s at 5014 Grant Avenue.

Specific locations

→ e.g., at the mall, at the movie theatre

I’m running late. Don’t wait for me—I’ll just meet you at the restaurant.

Conclusion

Keep reviewing this list, and you’ll have these prepositions memorized in no time!

引用：Prepositions of Time and Place: In, On, At / Andrea Byaruhanga