Grammar: Prepositions of Time and Place Worksheet (A2)
A printable A2 grammar worksheet on in, on and at for time and place: sorting, gap-fill, error correction, a short description and a writing task. Full answer key and teacher's notes.
About this worksheet
Prepositions are learnt one phrase at a time rather than by rule, so this worksheet gives the three patterns that do cover most cases and then practises the phrases that have to be remembered.
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Grammar: Prepositions of Time and Place · Level A2 · About 40 minutes
Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________
The pattern behind in, on and at
For time, the three words work from large to small. In takes the big containers: in 2026, in March, in the morning, in winter. On takes days and dates: on Monday, on 3 May, on my birthday, on Friday evening. At takes clock times and two or three fixed phrases: at six o'clock, at night, at the weekend, at Christmas.
For place, the same shape holds: in for something with sides around it - in a room, in a car, in Colombo, in the water; on for a surface or a line - on the table, on the wall, on the bus, on the third floor; at for a point you think of as a place you are - at school, at the bus stop, at the door, at work.
Two phrases break the pattern and simply have to be learnt: in the morning but at night, and in a car but on a bus.
Task 1. Sort the phrases
Write each phrase in the right column: IN, ON or AT.
Example: Monday → ON
- half past seven ____ · July ____ · the weekend ____
- my birthday ____ · 2019 ____ · night ____
- the afternoon ____ · 14 April ____ · Christmas Day ____
- the table ____ · the bus stop ____ · the kitchen ____
- the second floor ____ · school ____ · Kandy ____
Task 2. Time: fill the gap
Write in, on or at.
Example: The class starts at nine o'clock.
- My sister was born ____ 2011.
- We always visit my grandmother ____ Sunday.
- I do my homework ____ the evening, but ____ night I read.
- The shop is closed ____ the weekend.
- The examination is ____ 12 December, ____ half past eight.
- It rains a lot here ____ November.
Task 3. Place: fill the gap
Write in, on or at.
Example: Your bag is on the chair.
- There were twenty people ____ the bus.
- She is waiting ____ the door.
- We keep the rice ____ that cupboard.
- My uncle works ____ a bank ____ Galle.
- The picture is ____ the wall, above the clock.
- I met him ____ the bus stop, not ____ the station.
Task 4. Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one wrong preposition. Cross it out and write the right one.
Example: I get up at six o'clock ~~in~~ on weekdays.
- We arrived in Monday morning. ____
- My birthday is in the fifth of June. ____
- She lives on Colombo with her aunt. ____
- I read for an hour in night. ____
- There is nobody on the classroom. ____
- The bus leaves in ten o'clock. ____
Task 5. Your turn
Write six sentences about your own week. Use in, on and at at least twice each, and underline them.
- ________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________
For the teacher: answer key
| Task | Answers |
|---|---|
| Task 1 | AT: half past seven, the weekend, night, the bus stop, school, Christmas Day (also on Christmas Day - accept both). IN: July, 2019, the afternoon, the kitchen, Kandy. ON: my birthday, 14 April, the table, the second floor. |
| Task 2 | 1 in 2 on 3 in ... at 4 at 5 on ... at 6 in |
| Task 3 | 1 on 2 at 3 in 4 in ... in 5 on 6 at ... at |
| Task 4 | 1 on Monday morning 2 on the fifth of June 3 in Colombo 4 at night 5 in the classroom 6 at ten o'clock |
| Task 5 | Answers will vary. Check that each preposition matches the pattern in the box, and that at night and on Monday are right, as those are the two most often wrong. |
Teacher's notes
- Timing: Tasks 1 to 4 take about 30 minutes; Task 5 about 10, or set it as homework.
- Teach it as phrases, not as rules. At night and on the bus break the pattern, and no explanation will fix them - only meeting them often. Get learners to record the whole phrase in their notebooks, never the preposition alone.
- Do Task 1 in pairs, out loud. Learners argue about Christmas Day and the weekend, and the argument teaches more than the answer. Both at Christmas and on Christmas Day are correct, and it is worth saying why: one is the season, the other is the date.
- Task 4 is the diagnostic task. If learners get Tasks 2 and 3 right but fail Task 4, they can apply a rule but not notice a mistake, which is exactly what an examination asks for. Slow down here.
- Two errors are worth a minute each: in Monday (the commonest time error) and on the classroom (the commonest place error). Put both on the board wrong and let the class repair them.
- Extension: learners write five true sentences and three false ones about their week, swap papers, and find the false ones. They read far more carefully when there is something hidden.
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About this worksheet
Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.