Prepositions of Time

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“Prepositions of Time”
P
repositions – small and often irritating words which stop the learner in mid speech and a cause
for many problems and worries. Here we’ll look at prepositions of Time, namely IN, ON and AT
and put them into simple categories. All that remains is to learn them… off-by-heart.
IN
Years
Seasons
Times of the day*
Decades
Months
Examples:
In 1964
In Spring
In the 1920’s
In June
In the morning
ON
Days
Dates
*exception: “at night”
Examples:
On Saturday
On September 3rd
AT
Time
Feast days / periods
Point of time
Examples:
At 2 o’clock
At 5.30
At Christmas
At the weekend
At the turn of the century
Practice:
Translation
Using the above categories as reference, translate the following:
1. Ils ont fixé le rendez-vous pour le vendredi 12 octobre à 9h30
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. Je suis né le 5 février 1971
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Copyright Tom Gamble/Business Class Language Solutions 2011
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3. Ils se sont rencontrés pour la première fois dans les années soixante.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. Que faites-vous à noël?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
.5. En automne, j’aime me promener dans la forêt.
…………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………..
6. Mon grand-père est né au début du siècle dernier.
……………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………..
7. On ira en Angleterre en mai.
…………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………..
8. Appelles-moi dans la matinée.
…………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………..
9. Que faites-vous le weekend ?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
10. Il ya souvent une baisse d’activité en été.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Answers:
Translation exercise
1. They set the meeting on Friday the 12th of October at 9.30
2. I was born on the February 5th, 1971.
3. They met for the first time in the 1960s.
4. What are you doing at Christmas?
5. In autumn I like walking in the forest.
6. My grandfather was born at the turn of the last century.
7. We’ll go to England in May.
8. Call me in the morning.
9. What are you doing at the weekend?
10. There is often a drop in activity/business in summer.
Copyright Tom Gamble/Business Class Language Solutions 2011
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Notes
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Copyright Tom Gamble/Business Class Language Solutions 2011
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