The prepositions at, on and in refer not only to place, but also to time We can refer to approximate time with approximately, about around, round or round about:
The accident happened at approximately 5 30 The accident happened (at) about/around 5 30 For other prepositions of time such as during, for. from since till functioning in adverbial phrases [> 7.30-35], and also [> App 25].
8.11 Time phrases with 'at'
Exact time: at 10 o'clock; at 14 hundred hours [> App 47.5]
Meal times: at lunch time, at tea time, at dinner time
Other points of time: at dawn; at noon, at midnight, at night
Festivals: at Christmas; at Easter, at Christmas-time
Age: at the age of 27, at 14
+ time: at this time, at that time
At is often omitted in questions with What time? and in short
answers to such questions:
What time do you arrive'? - Nine o'clock in the morning The full question and answer is formal:
At what time do you arrive? - At nine o'clock in the morning
8 Prepositions, adverb particles and phrasal verbs
8.12 Time phrases with 'on'
Days of the week: on Monday on Fridays [> App 24.1]
Parts of the day: on Monday morning, on Friday evening
Dates: on June 1st on 21st March [> App 47.4.2]
Day + date on Monday June 1st
Particular occasions: on that day on that evening
Anniversaries, etc.: on your birthday on your wedding day
Festivals: on Christmas Day, on New Year's Day
In everyday speech on is often omitted:
/ // see you Friday See you June 21st Prepositions (and the definite article) must be omitted when we use last, next and this that [compare > App 48]:
/ saw him last/this April I'lI see you next/this Friday
8.13 Time phrases with 'in' (= some time during [compare > 7.35])
Parts of the day: in the evening in the morning
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Months: in March, in September [> App 24.2]
Years: in I900 in 1984 in 1998 [> App 47.4.1]
Seasons: in (the) spring, in (the) winter [> App 24.2]
Centuries: in the 19th century, in the 20th century
Festivals- in Ramadan, in Easter week
Periods of time: in that time, in that age in the holidays