Preposition of time

Techniques > Use of language > Parts of speech > Using prepositions > Preposition of time

Method | Example | Discussion | See also

Method

Use prepositions of time (including in, at, on, since) to bring time into focus, getting people to see the future and persuading them to prepare, change their actions and so on.

Example

Think about future, looking inside, around and about what can be.

In time, we'll be there.

We will meet on Tuesday at five o'clock.

Discussion

Prepositions of time locate nouns in time, answering the question 'When?'. Like prepositions of place, these include at, in, on, for example a specific point (at 5 o'clock) or after a given period (in three weeks).

A reason why prepositions of place are similar to prepositions of time is because we conceptualize time as a line that may move through imaginary three dimensional space. This manipulation of time as space means you can change a person's perception of time by using spatial prepositions that also work as temporal prepositions.