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B1 · Intermediate · Practice

Prepositions of Time and Place: B1 Exercises

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

Prepositions look like the smallest problem in English and turn out to be one of the longest-running. At A2 the basic pattern is clear enough: in for months and years, on for days and dates, at for clock times; in for enclosed spaces, on for surfaces, at for points. What B1 adds is everything that pattern does not explain, and there is a great deal of it. Why in the morning but on Monday morning? Why at the weekend in British English and on the weekend in American? Why at Christmas for the season and on Christmas Day for the date?

The honest answer is that the smaller the preposition, the more idiomatic it is, and beyond the core rules these have to be met often enough to become familiar. What can be organised is the pattern behind the exceptions: a more specific time expression tends to pull the preposition towards on, and a named point pulls it towards at. Prepositional phrases such as in time and on time, at the end and in the end, differ by a single word and mean genuinely different things. These sixty exercises drill the core rules, the systematic exceptions and the fixed phrases most likely to appear in an exam.

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 Prepositions of Time and Place lesson first — practice before the rule is understood mostly teaches you your own guesses.

Practise Prepositions of Time and Place 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.

  1. The meeting is ___ Thursday afternoon.in · on · at · by
  2. I always read ___ the evening.in · on · at · by
  3. The film starts ___ half past seven.in · on · at · by
  4. She was born ___ 1994.in · on · at · since
  5. What do most British speakers say?on the weekend · at the weekend · in the weekend · by the weekend
  6. We spent the whole afternoon ___ the beach.in · on · at · by
  7. He is waiting ___ the bus stop.in · on · at · to
  8. There is milk ___ the fridge.in · on · at · by
  9. The train arrived exactly ___ time.in · on · at · by
  10. We got to the airport just ___ time to check in.on · in · at · by
  11. ___ the end, we decided not to move house.At · In · On · By
  12. Her office is ___ the third floor.in · on · at · to
  13. I will finish the report ___ Friday at the latest.until · by · on · in
  14. She has lived here ___ 2011.for · since · from · during
  15. We stayed in Lisbon ___ five days.since · for · during · by
  16. They live ___ a small village near York.at · in · on · to
  17. Which is correct?at Christmas Day · in Christmas Day · on Christmas Day · by Christmas Day
  18. The keys are ___ the kitchen table.in · on · at · by
  19. I fell asleep ___ the middle of the film.at · in · on · by
  20. He has been unwell ___ the past fortnight.since · for · during · by

Fill-in-the-blank questions

Type the missing word.

  1. The conference begins __________ Monday morning.
  2. I prefer to study __________ the early afternoon.
  3. The doors open __________ seven o'clock sharp.
  4. My grandmother was born __________ March 1938.
  5. Most British people relax __________ the weekend.
  6. The children were playing __________ the beach all morning.
  7. She is standing __________ the corner of the street.
  8. There is nothing __________ the fridge except butter.
  9. The bus arrived __________ time for once.
  10. We reached the theatre just __________ time for the first act.
  11. __________ the end, nobody objected to the proposal.
  12. The dentist is __________ the second floor.
  13. Please reply __________ the end of the week.
  14. He has worked here __________ 2015 without a break.
  15. They lived abroad __________ nearly a decade.
  16. We stayed __________ a small hotel near the harbour.
  17. The shops are always busy __________ Christmas.
  18. Your passport is __________ the top drawer.
  19. I woke up __________ the middle of the night.
  20. She has been away __________ last Tuesday.

Sentence structure: word ordering

Put the words in the correct order.

  1. Combine a clock time and a named day.The / lecture / starts / at / nine / on / Monday.
  2. Give a habit with a part of the day.I / usually / read / in / the / evening.
  3. Use the preposition for seasons and years.She / was / born / in / the / spring / of / 1990.
  4. Use the British form.We / relax / at / the / weekend / whenever / possible.
  5. Place something on a flat surface.The / keys / are / on / the / kitchen / table.
  6. Locate somebody at a point.He / is / waiting / at / the / bus / stop.
  7. Put something inside an enclosed space.There / is / some / cheese / in / the / fridge.
  8. Say something happened punctually.The / train / left / exactly / on / time.
  9. Say you were early enough for something.We / arrived / in / time / for / the / opening.
  10. Report a final decision.In / the / end / we / chose / the / cheaper / option.
  11. Give a position in a building.Her / flat / is / on / the / fourth / floor.
  12. Set a deadline.Please / send / it / by / Friday / afternoon.
  13. Give a starting point.They / have / lived / here / since / two / thousand / and / eight.
  14. Give a length of time.We / waited / for / almost / three / hours.
  15. Locate somebody inside a settlement.She / grew / up / in / a / village / near / Bath.
  16. Refer to a festive season.The / shops / are / busiest / at / Christmas.
  17. Refer to a specific date.We / met / on / Christmas / Day / last / year.
  18. Use a fixed phrase about time.I / woke / up / in / the / middle / of / the / night.
  19. Say when something continues up to.The / office / is / closed / until / Monday / morning.
  20. Give a measured recent duration.He / has / been / ill / for / the / past / fortnight.
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 ___ Thursday afternoon. → on
A named day pulls the preposition to on, even when a part of the day follows it.
2. I always read ___ the evening. → in
Parts of the day take in, unless a specific day is named.
3. The film starts ___ half past seven. → at
Clock times take at.
4. She was born ___ 1994. → in
Years, months and seasons take in.
5. What do most British speakers say? → at the weekend
British English uses at the weekend; American English prefers on the weekend.
6. We spent the whole afternoon ___ the beach. → on
On the beach treats it as a surface you are positioned upon.
7. He is waiting ___ the bus stop. → at
At marks a point or a location seen as a single spot.
8. There is milk ___ the fridge. → in
In is used for enclosed spaces.
9. The train arrived exactly ___ time. → on
On time means punctually; in time would mean early enough for something else.
10. We got to the airport just ___ time to check in. → in
In time means with enough time to spare for a purpose.
11. ___ the end, we decided not to move house. → In
In the end means finally; at the end refers to the final part of something.
12. Her office is ___ the third floor. → on
Floors of a building take on.
13. I will finish the report ___ Friday at the latest. → by
By means not later than; until would mean continuing up to that point.
14. She has lived here ___ 2011. → since
Since names the starting point; for would need a length of time.
15. We stayed in Lisbon ___ five days. → for
For measures the length of a period.
16. They live ___ a small village near York. → in
Towns, cities and villages take in when you mean inside them.
17. Which is correct? → on Christmas Day
A specific date takes on, though the season as a whole takes at Christmas.
18. The keys are ___ the kitchen table. → on
A flat surface takes on.
19. I fell asleep ___ the middle of the film. → in
In the middle of is a fixed phrase for both time and place.
20. He has been unwell ___ the past fortnight. → for
For introduces a measured duration, even when described as the past fortnight.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. The conference begins ___ Monday morning. → on
A named day takes on, even with a part of the day attached.
2. I prefer to study ___ the early afternoon. → in
Parts of the day take in when no specific day is named.
3. The doors open ___ seven o'clock sharp. → at
Clock times always take at.
4. My grandmother was born ___ March 1938. → in
Months and years take in.
5. Most British people relax ___ the weekend. → at
At the weekend is the British form; on the weekend is American.
6. The children were playing ___ the beach all morning. → on
On treats the beach as a surface rather than an enclosure.
7. She is standing ___ the corner of the street. → on
On the corner is the usual phrase for a street position.
8. There is nothing ___ the fridge except butter. → in
Enclosed spaces take in.
9. The bus arrived ___ time for once. → on
On time means punctually, at the scheduled moment.
10. We reached the theatre just ___ time for the first act. → in
In time means early enough for a purpose.
11. ___ the end, nobody objected to the proposal. → In
In the end means finally, after some uncertainty.
12. The dentist is ___ the second floor. → on
Floors of a building take on.
13. Please reply ___ the end of the week. → by
By sets a deadline meaning not later than.
14. He has worked here ___ 2015 without a break. → since
Since names the point at which a period began.
15. They lived abroad ___ nearly a decade. → for
For measures the length of a period.
16. We stayed ___ a small hotel near the harbour. → in
In emphasises being inside the building; at would emphasise the location.
17. The shops are always busy ___ Christmas. → at
At is used for the festive season as a whole.
18. Your passport is ___ the top drawer. → in
A drawer is an enclosed space.
19. I woke up ___ the middle of the night. → in
In the middle of is fixed for both time and place.
20. She has been away ___ last Tuesday. → since
Since introduces the starting point of an unfinished period.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Combine a clock time and a named day. → The lecture starts at nine on Monday.
Combine a clock time and a named day.
2. Give a habit with a part of the day. → I usually read in the evening.
Give a habit with a part of the day.
3. Use the preposition for seasons and years. → She was born in the spring of 1990.
Use the preposition for seasons and years.
4. Use the British form. → We relax at the weekend whenever possible.
Use the British form.
5. Place something on a flat surface. → The keys are on the kitchen table.
Place something on a flat surface.
6. Locate somebody at a point. → He is waiting at the bus stop.
Locate somebody at a point.
7. Put something inside an enclosed space. → There is some cheese in the fridge.
Put something inside an enclosed space.
8. Say something happened punctually. → The train left exactly on time.
Say something happened punctually.
9. Say you were early enough for something. → We arrived in time for the opening.
Say you were early enough for something.
10. Report a final decision. → In the end we chose the cheaper option.
Report a final decision.
11. Give a position in a building. → Her flat is on the fourth floor.
Give a position in a building.
12. Set a deadline. → Please send it by Friday afternoon.
Set a deadline.
13. Give a starting point. → They have lived here since two thousand and eight.
Give a starting point.
14. Give a length of time. → We waited for almost three hours.
Give a length of time.
15. Locate somebody inside a settlement. → She grew up in a village near Bath.
Locate somebody inside a settlement.
16. Refer to a festive season. → The shops are busiest at Christmas.
Refer to a festive season.
17. Refer to a specific date. → We met on Christmas Day last year.
Refer to a specific date.
18. Use a fixed phrase about time. → I woke up in the middle of the night.
Use a fixed phrase about time.
19. Say when something continues up to. → The office is closed until Monday morning.
Say when something continues up to.
20. Give a measured recent duration. → He has been ill for the past fortnight.
Give a measured recent duration.

The errors these questions are built to catch

After this set

Prepositions reward exposure more than analysis. Keep a note of any phrase that surprises you, and revisit this set in a fortnight rather than tomorrow.

Keep going with B1 grammar

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Related studies

A score on Prepositions of Time and Place is only useful if it tells you what to do next. If this set was hard, the problem is usually one level down rather than in the questions themselves — start with the revision column. If it was easy, take the reading and the next structure instead.

Revise the A2 rule first

The structure this set assumes you already own. Nearly every B1 mistake in these three question types traces back to it.

Read the long version

The articles that explain this topic in full prose, with the context a practice set has no room for.

Take it further

Widen the practice beyond this one topic.