A2 · Elementary · Practice

In, On and At: A2 Exercises

60 exercises · 20 multiple choice · 20 fill in the blank · 20 word ordering

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Prepositions are short, frequent and almost impossible to translate one for one, which is why they resist study and reward practice. English organises the main three by size: in for the largest container, on for a surface or a named day, at for a single point. That logic runs through both time and place, so in July, on Monday and at six o'clock use exactly the same reasoning as in Turkey, on the table and at the door.

These sixty exercises drill the pattern and then the exceptions, because the exceptions are what conversation is made of. At night but in the morning; on the bus but in the car; at home, at work and at school with no article at all. The set also covers the second tier of prepositions that A2 writing needs — during, until, for, since, between, above, under, next to, opposite — since knowing that a meeting is on Tuesday is of limited use if you cannot say it lasts until four.

60 exercises in this set

3 question types

~25 minutes to finish

80% to pass

What these exercises drill

Every question in this set tests one of the rules below. If any of them is unfamiliar, read the In, On and At lesson first — practice before the rule is understood mostly teaches you your own guesses.

Time: in for long periods (months, years, seasons), on for days and dates, at for clock times.
Place: in for enclosed spaces, on for surfaces, at for points and addresses.
Learn the fixed expressions: at the weekend, at Christmas, in the morning, on my birthday.
No preposition before last, next, this, every.

Practise In, On and At now

Answer at your own pace — nothing is timed and nothing is submitted. Each answer is marked the moment you give it, the explanation appears whether you were right or wrong, and the progress bar tracks all 60. Your score is saved in this browser, and to your account if you are signed in.

Multiple choice questions

Choose the correct answer.

The meeting is ___ Tuesday morning.in · on · at · by
I usually get up ___ seven o'clock.in · on · at · to
She was born ___ 1998.in · on · at · since
We often go skiing ___ winter.on · at · in · by
The shop closes ___ night.in · on · at · by
Your keys are ___ the kitchen table.in · on · at · to
There's milk ___ the fridge.in · on · at · by
I'll meet you ___ the bus stop.in · on · at · to
She lives ___ Greece.on · at · in · to
He is ___ work until six.in · on · at · by
The exam lasts ___ nine to eleven.since · from · for · during
We waited ___ two hours in the rain.since · during · for · until
I haven't seen him ___ March.for · since · during · by
The bank is ___ the post office and the bakery.among · between · in · under
Put your bag ___ the seat, not in the aisle.under · among · into · onto of
There's a good café ___ the station.opposite · against · along of · in front
We travelled ___ train from Ankara to Konya.in · on · by · with
I read the whole book ___ the flight.while · during · for · since
The library is ___ the second floor.in · on · at · to
Which sentence is correct?I'll see you in Monday. · I'll see you at Monday. · I'll see you on Monday. · I'll see you to Monday.

Fill-in-the-blank questions

Type the missing word.

My birthday is __________ the fourteenth of May.
The film starts __________ half past eight.
We moved to this flat __________ 2021.
It gets very cold here __________ January.
I can't sleep __________ night when it's this hot.
Leave the parcel __________ the doorstep, please.
Everything you need is __________ the blue folder.
She's waiting __________ the entrance to the museum.
They spent three years __________ Portugal.
He's __________ home this afternoon if you want to call.
The library is open __________ eight in the morning.
We've lived here __________ six years.
Nothing has changed __________ the last election.
The chemist is __________ the bank and the bakery.
The cat is asleep __________ the bed again.
Our office is __________ the third floor.
I usually travel __________ bus to save money.
Nobody spoke __________ the entire journey.
The shop stays open __________ midnight on Fridays.
There's a small park __________ to our building.

Sentence structure: word ordering

Put the words in the correct order.

Give a precise starting time for an event.The / concert / starts / at / eight / o'clock.
Say which month a yearly trip happens.We / always / visit / them / in / August.
Tell somebody where their clothing is.Your / coat / is / on / the / chair.
Describe a workplace inside a building.He / works / in / a / bank / downtown.
Arrange to meet on a named day.I'll / see / you / on / Friday / evening.
Describe a long wait at a meeting point.She / waited / at / the / station / for / hours.
Say where something small is enclosed.The / keys / are / in / my / coat / pocket.
Give the starting point of a silence.We / haven't / spoken / since / last / summer.
Locate a place facing another across a street.The / café / is / opposite / the / cinema.
Say how a group made a long journey.They / travelled / by / plane / to / Lisbon.
Describe an activity across a period, before a noun.I / read / during / the / whole / flight.
Give a precise closing time.The / post / office / closes / at / five.
Say which country somebody has moved to.My / brother / lives / in / Canada / now.
Describe an immediate neighbour on a street.There / is / a / bakery / next / to / us.
Give the length of a holiday.We / stayed / there / for / two / weeks.
Describe storage below something.He / put / the / box / under / the / stairs.
Give a location inside a tall building.The / meeting / is / on / the / fifth / floor.
State a rule about the darkest part of the day.I / never / go / out / at / night / alone.
Give the end point of opening hours.The / shop / is / open / until / ten / today.
Give a season and a year.She / was / born / in / the / spring / of / 1990.

Show the answer key for all 60 exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. The meeting is ___ Tuesday morning. → on: A named day, even with a part of the day attached, takes on.
2. I usually get up ___ seven o'clock. → at: A clock time is a single point, so it takes at.
3. She was born ___ 1998. → in: Years, months and seasons take in.
4. We often go skiing ___ winter. → in: Seasons take in, like months and years — the longer the period, the more likely it is to take in.
5. The shop closes ___ night. → at: At night is an exception to the in the morning pattern.
6. Your keys are ___ the kitchen table. → on: A flat surface takes on.
7. There's milk ___ the fridge. → in: Something enclosed takes in.
8. I'll meet you ___ the bus stop. → at: A meeting point takes at.
9. She lives ___ Greece. → in: Countries and cities take in.
10. He is ___ work until six. → at: At work, at home and at school are fixed expressions.
11. The exam lasts ___ nine to eleven. → from: From … to marks the start and end of a period.
12. We waited ___ two hours in the rain. → for: For introduces a length of time.
13. I haven't seen him ___ March. → since: Since introduces the starting point of a period.
14. The bank is ___ the post office and the bakery. → between: Between is used with two named things.
15. Put your bag ___ the seat, not in the aisle. → under: Under describes a position below something.
16. There's a good café ___ the station. → opposite: Opposite means facing something across a space.
17. We travelled ___ train from Ankara to Konya. → by: By + transport is the fixed way to say how you travelled.
18. I read the whole book ___ the flight. → during: During is followed by a noun, while by a clause.
19. The library is ___ the second floor. → on: Floors of a building take on.
20. Which sentence is correct? → I'll see you on Monday.: Days of the week take on.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. My birthday is ___ the fourteenth of May. → on: A specific date takes on.
2. The film starts ___ half past eight. → at: A clock time is a point, so it takes at.
3. We moved to this flat ___ 2021. → in: Years take in, the same preposition used for months and seasons.
4. It gets very cold here ___ January. → in: Months take in, because a month is a period you are inside rather than a point.
5. I can't sleep ___ night when it's this hot. → at: At night is the fixed exception among the parts of the day.
6. Leave the parcel ___ the doorstep, please. → on: A flat surface that something rests on takes the preposition on.
7. Everything you need is ___ the blue folder. → in: Something enclosed inside another thing takes in.
8. She's waiting ___ the entrance to the museum. → at: A meeting point takes at.
9. They spent three years ___ Portugal. → in: Countries and cities are large areas you are inside, so they take in.
10. He's ___ home this afternoon if you want to call. → at: At home is a fixed expression with no article.
11. The library is open ___ eight in the morning. → from: From marks the beginning of an opening period.
12. We've lived here ___ six years. → for: For introduces a length of time.
13. Nothing has changed ___ the last election. → since: Since introduces the point a period started from.
14. The chemist is ___ the bank and the bakery. → between: Between is used with two things on either side.
15. The cat is asleep ___ the bed again. → under: Under describes a position below something.
16. Our office is ___ the third floor. → on: Floors of a building take on.
17. I usually travel ___ bus to save money. → by: By + transport describes the means of travel.
18. Nobody spoke ___ the entire journey. → during: During is followed by a noun phrase naming a period.
19. The shop stays open ___ midnight on Fridays. → until: Until marks the end point of a continuing situation.
20. There's a small park ___ to our building. → next: Next to means immediately beside something.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Give a precise starting time for an event. → The concert starts at eight o'clock.: Give a precise starting time for an event.
2. Say which month a yearly trip happens. → We always visit them in August.: Say which month a yearly trip happens.
3. Tell somebody where their clothing is. → Your coat is on the chair.: Tell somebody where their clothing is.
4. Describe a workplace inside a building. → He works in a bank downtown.: Describe a workplace inside a building.
5. Arrange to meet on a named day. → I'll see you on Friday evening.: Arrange to meet on a named day.
6. Describe a long wait at a meeting point. → She waited at the station for hours.: Describe a long wait at a meeting point.
7. Say where something small is enclosed. → The keys are in my coat pocket.: Say where something small is enclosed.
8. Give the starting point of a silence. → We haven't spoken since last summer.: Give the starting point of a silence.
9. Locate a place facing another across a street. → The café is opposite the cinema.: Locate a place facing another across a street.
10. Say how a group made a long journey. → They travelled by plane to Lisbon.: Say how a group made a long journey.
11. Describe an activity across a period, before a noun. → I read during the whole flight.: Describe an activity across a period, before a noun.
12. Give a precise closing time. → The post office closes at five.: Give a precise closing time.
13. Say which country somebody has moved to. → My brother lives in Canada now.: Say which country somebody has moved to.
14. Describe an immediate neighbour on a street. → There is a bakery next to us.: Describe an immediate neighbour on a street.
15. Give the length of a holiday. → We stayed there for two weeks.: Give the length of a holiday.
16. Describe storage below something. → He put the box under the stairs.: Describe storage below something.
17. Give a location inside a tall building. → The meeting is on the fifth floor.: Give a location inside a tall building.
18. State a rule about the darkest part of the day. → I never go out at night alone.: State a rule about the darkest part of the day.
19. Give the end point of opening hours. → The shop is open until ten today.: Give the end point of opening hours.
20. Give a season and a year. → She was born in the spring of 1990.: Give a season and a year.

The errors these questions are built to catch

The meeting is on 9 o'clock.

The meeting is at 9 o'clock.

Clock times always take at.
I was born in 12th March.

I was born on 12th March.

Full dates take on; only the bare month or year takes in.
We met in last summer.

We met last summer.

Last/next/this/every replace the preposition entirely.

After this set

Prepositions place things in time and space. The next lesson picks one thing out of a whole group and puts it at the top, using superlative adjectives.