The Time and Place Patterns

Prepositions of time and place do follow some rough patterns:

• At = specific point: at 3pm, at the corner, at the meeting
• On = surface or specific day: on the table, on Monday, on the second floor
• In = enclosed space or longer period: in the room, in January, in 2024

Think of it as a zoom lens: "at" is the tightest zoom (a point), "on" is medium (a surface or line), and "in" is the widest (a container or area). This mental image helps more than any rule. For movement, the key pairs are to (toward a destination) and from (away from a starting point).