In today’s video, we’ll explore the intricacies of expressing time, including discussing days of the week, months, years, and seasons, as well as providing guidance on the correct prepositions to use in each context.
Navigate the Calendar and Seasons for Fluent English Expression
Days of the week in English
Let’s start with the days of the week!
| Days of the week |
|---|
| Monday |
| Tuesday |
| Wednesday |
| Thursday |
| Friday |
| Saturday |
| Sunday |
In English, you use certain prepositions to show the day, month, and the year (for example, on Monday, in March, in 2024).
There is no clear explanation why you use different prepositions, but there are some general rules. The best way to learn which preposition to use is to use them frequently until it becomes natural.
You use “on” with days of the week. For example, “I have math classes on Mondays and Fridays.”
You can also use “on” with dates of the month. For example, “I was born on the 5th.”
Now let’s go to months of the year and seasons.
Months of the Year in English
| Months of the Year |
|---|
| January |
| February |
| March |
| April |
| May |
| June |
| July |
| August |
| September |
| October |
| November |
| December |
Seasons in English
| Seasons |
|---|
| Summer |
| Autumn |
| Winter |
| Spring |
Dates and prepositions in English
- IN
– When talking about months, use the preposition “in” (for example, “in January“).
– When talking about seasons, use the preposition “in” (for example, “in Winter“)
– When talking about years, use the preposition “in” (for example, “in 1997“).
– When talking about periods of time, use the preposition “in” but remember we have to add ‘the’. For example, “I like doing sports in the morning, that’s a period of time. I like going out on walks in the afternoon.“
- ON
As we have already said, ‘on‘ is used with days. For example: “on Monday“, “on Tuesday” and so on.
Remember: If you add a date to the month, it is not a month anymore but a day in that month. For example, “on the 5th of July.” So, you see, we use “on“, the preposition “on” because we have on the 5th of July, we don’t say in the 5th of July, no. On the 5th of July.
Note. You say “on Sunday morning” or “on Monday afternoon” because you are talking about a day (Monday or Sunday). However, when you are talking about a period of time, you use “in the” for example, “in the morning” or “in the afternoon”. Now let’s go to dates.
When we talk about the position of something or order of something, like the dates of the month, we use ordinal numbers. They usually come after the numbers, and they look like this: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on. So, the first day is 1st, the second day is 2nd, the third day is 3rd, the fourth day is 4th.After that, we just add “th” to the numbers, for example, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and so on.
The order to write or tell dates in English is: day + month + year or, sometimes, the month + day + year. For example:
– «World War I started on the 1st of September 1939.»
– «On July 4th, 1776, I lost my cat.»
Note that you can also abbreviate the date like 1/09/1939.
- AT
We also use the preposition “at” with exact time and some expressions. For example,
– «I’m busy right now. Please come back at noon.»
– «I woke up at sunrise today.»
– «I wish to take some pictures at sunset today.»
Note. “Sunrise” is the time the sun comes up in the morning. “Sunset” is the time the sun goes down at the end of the day.
Let’s practice!
Great! Let’s see if you have mastered the lesson for today. Get ready for some multiple-choice fun.
1) We always celebrate Christmas _______ December 25th.
a. on
b. at
c. in
2) The flowers bloom _______ spring.
a. in
b. at
c. on
3) The first human landed on the moon _______ July 20, 1969.
a. on
b. in
c. at
4) The farmers start working in the field _______ dawn.
a. in
b. on
c. at
Correct answers
- We always celebrate Christmas on December 25th. (a)
- The flowers bloom in spring. (a)
- The first human landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. (a)
- The farmers start working in the field at dawn. (c)
Please do not forget to leave your answers in the comment section below.
If you want to continue studying, don’t miss the article on the English alphabet.