Time Expressions & Prepositions Quiz
Do you know when to use in, on, or at with time references? Can you tell ago from for from since? Test your command of English time expressions across 20 multiple-choice items at A2–B1 level.
Start the Quiz →What This Quiz Covers
Prepositions of time are among the highest-frequency grammar items in English, yet they cause consistent errors even at intermediate level. The choice between in, on, and at follows clear patterns — but those patterns have enough exceptions and overlaps to trip up learners who have only half-learned the rules. Add in the closely related set of time expressions — ago, for, since, during, by, until — and you have one of the most practically important areas to master at A2–B1 level.
This quiz tests all the core time expression patterns through 20 realistic multiple-choice items set in everyday contexts: making plans, talking about past events, describing routines, and explaining durations. Each question isolates a specific contrast — for example, for three weeks vs since last week, or in the morning vs at night — so you can pinpoint exactly where your knowledge is strong and where it needs work.
What You Will Learn
- When to use in with longer time periods: months (in July), seasons (in winter), years (in 2024), decades, and parts of the day (in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening).
- When to use on with specific days and dates: days of the week (on Monday), calendar dates (on 5th June), and named days (on Christmas Day, on New Year's Eve).
- When to use at with precise points in time: clock times (at 3 o'clock), mealtimes (at lunch), and fixed expressions (at night, at the weekend, at the moment).
- The difference between for (duration: for two hours, for three years) and since (start point: since Tuesday, since 2020), and how each connects to the present perfect tense.
- How to use ago to describe elapsed time from the present looking back (three years ago), always paired with a past simple verb, never the present perfect.
- The distinction between during (followed by a noun phrase: during the film, during my holiday) and while (followed by a clause), and how to avoid confusing the two.
- How to use by (deadline: by Friday, by the end of the week) and until/till (continuous up to a point: until midnight, till next Monday) to express different types of time limit.
- Common fixed time expressions that learners frequently confuse: at the end vs in the end, on time vs in time, and at first vs at the beginning.
How to Prepare
Before starting, it helps to lock in a simple mental map for the three prepositions: at = a precise point (clock time, fixed expression), on = a day or date (think of the surface of a calendar page), in = a longer container (month, season, year, part of the day). Also remember that no preposition is used before last, next, this, every, yesterday, or tomorrow.
For duration versus start point, remember: if you can ask "how long?", use for. If you can ask "starting from when?", use since. Practise both patterns in context with the Complete the Sentence exercise before testing yourself here. The Flash Cards tool is also ideal for drilling fixed time expressions such as at the moment, in the end, and on time until they feel automatic.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The core rule is based on specificity: at goes with the most precise time points — clock times (at 7 pm) and fixed expressions (at night, at the weekend, at the moment); on goes with days and specific dates (on Monday, on 12 March, on Christmas Day); in goes with longer periods — months (in October), seasons (in summer), years (in 2019), and parts of the day (in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening). The main exception is at night, which uses at rather than in.
For describes a duration — a length of time — and answers the question "how long?": I have lived here for three years. Since describes a start point — a specific moment when something began — and answers "from when?": I have lived here since 2021. Both are commonly used with the present perfect tense to connect a past event to the present. A quick test: if you can replace the expression with "a period of X time", use for. If you can replace it with "starting from X", use since.
Ago measures elapsed time looking backward from the present: two days ago, three weeks ago, a year ago. It always comes after the time expression (never before it) and is always used with the past simple tense — never the present perfect. Compare: I arrived three days ago (past simple — correct) vs I have arrived three days ago (present perfect — incorrect). Do not confuse ago with before, which measures time from a past reference point: She had left two hours before I arrived.
During is a preposition and must be followed by a noun or noun phrase: during the lesson, during my holiday, during the night. While is a conjunction and must be followed by a subject and verb: while I was sleeping, while she studied. Both express that something happened within a defined time period, but the grammatical structure after each word differs completely. A very common mistake is saying during I was sleeping — this is wrong because during cannot introduce a clause with a subject and verb.
By sets a deadline — it means "no later than" and refers to a single completed action: Please submit your report by Friday means the action must be done at some point before Friday ends. Until (or till) describes a continuous state or ongoing action that continues right up to a point: I worked until midnight means the action continued without stopping all the way to midnight. Use by for one-time completion; use until for actions or states that continue over a period.
At the end refers to the final part of a specific, defined sequence or period and is usually followed by of: at the end of the film, at the end of the month, at the end of the course. In the end is a fixed adverb phrase meaning "finally" or "after a long process or many difficulties" and is not followed by of: We argued for hours but in the end we agreed. The two expressions are not interchangeable — at the end locates a point on a timeline, while in the end expresses an eventual outcome.
On time means punctual — arriving or happening at exactly the scheduled or expected moment: The train arrived on time. It implies there was a fixed appointment and the event matched it precisely. In time means not too late — with enough time to spare before something else happens: We arrived in time to get good seats. It suggests that there was a deadline or event coming up and the action was completed before it. You can be on time for a meeting (arriving at exactly 10 am) and also in time (arriving before it started).
In English, the words last, next, this, every, yesterday, and tomorrow already function as complete time adverbs on their own — they do not need a preposition to connect them to the sentence. Saying on last Monday or in next year is incorrect; the correct forms are simply last Monday and next year. This is a very frequent error for speakers whose first language always requires a preposition before time references.
The present perfect pairs with time expressions that link a past event to the present. The main ones are: for (duration up to now: I have studied for two hours), since (start point: since Monday), just (very recently: I have just finished), already (sooner than expected: She has already left), yet (in questions and negatives: Have you eaten yet?), ever (at any time in your life: Have you ever been to Japan?), and never (at no time: I have never tried sushi). Never use ago with the present perfect.
Time expressions and prepositions of time appear in virtually every Cambridge A2 Key (KET) and B1 Preliminary (PET) paper — in reading texts, gap-fill tasks, and listening items. At these levels, correct use of in/on/at, for/since, and common time adverbs is an explicit assessment target. This quiz covers exactly the items tested at A2–B1 in the same multiple-choice format used in the exams, so practising here builds both the language knowledge and the test technique needed to score well.