Time
CONTEXT LISTENING
Dea and Simon are talking about sport on the radio. Before you listen, look at the photographs and write the names of the sports. Which sports do you think they will talk about?
Listen and check if you were right. As you listen, put the sports in the order in which you hear about them.
Listen again and fill in the gaps below. If there is no word in the gap, mark – .
Grammar
At, on and in
We use at with...
a point of time, seasonal holidays:
at the beginning/end of the month
at six o’clock
at sunrise
at lunchtime
at Christmas
We also use at in some expressions:
at the weekend,
at first (= at the beginning),
at last (= finally),
at present / at the moment (= now)
We use on with
dates, days of the week, special days:
on 8th July (note that we say on the eighth of July),
on Sunday,
on my birthday,
on the day of the race
We use in with
parts of the day, months, seasons, years, decades, centuries:
in the afternoon/morning/evening (but at night),
in July,
in (the) summer,
in 1953,
in the 90s,
in the twenty-first century
We do not use a preposition before today, tomorrow, yesterday, this/next/last:
Next month there’s the Cup Final.
(not In next month there’s the Cup Final.)
Be careful with these expressions.
in the end ≠ at the end
I looked everywhere for my shoe. In the end I found it under my bed. = the final result
The film was very exciting with a long car chase at the end. = the last event
on time ≠ in time
If the train’s on time, I’ll be home at six. = at the correct time
If we leave now, we’ll be home in time to see the news. = early enough
By and until/till
We use by to show something happens before or at a time:
Can you clean the car by four o’clock? (= Will the car be clean before or at four o’clock?)
We use until/till to show something happens up to, but not after, a time:
Don’t wait until/till July to get your tickets. (= Buy your tickets before July.)
They played until/till it got dark. (= They stopped when it got dark.)
In, during and for
In and during often mean the same when we talk about a period of time:
There will be some good sport in/during the next few months.
But when we talk about an activity or an event we use during not in:
It rained during the match. (= the players were playing tennis when the rain started)
For tells us how long:
I run every day for one or two hours.
In tells us how soon:
In ten days there’s one of my favourite events.
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