Exercises

120.1 Complete the sentences. Each time use at, on or in + one of the following.

the evening the moment Sundays about 20 minutes 21 July 1969 he Middle Ages 1492 the 1920s 11 seconds Christmas the same time night

1. Columbus made his first voyage from Europe to America _in 1492._

2. In Britain most people do not work ---.

3. If the sky is clear, you can see the stars ---.

4. After working hard during the day, I like to relax ---.

5. The first man walked on the moon ---.

6. It's difficult to listen if everyone is speaking ---.

7. Jazz became popular in the United States ---.

8. I'm just going out to the shop. I'll be back ---.

9. (on the phone) 'Can I speak to Clare? ' 'I'm afraid she's not here ---.'

10. In Britain people send each other cards ---.

11. Many of Europe's great cathedrals were built ---.

12. Bob is a very fast runner. He can run 100 metres ---.

120.2 Put in at, on or in where necessary. Leave an empty space (-) if no preposition is necessary.

1. a. I'll see you _on_ Friday.

b. I'll see you (-) next Friday. (no preposition)

2. a. What are you doing --- Saturday?

b. What are you doing --- the weekend?

3. a. They often go out --- the evenings.

b. They often go out --- Sunday evenings

4. a. Do you work --- Wednesdays?

b. Do you work--- every Wednesday?

5. a. We usually have a holiday --- the summer.

b. We often have a short holiday --- Christmas.

6. a. Pauline got married --- 1991.

b. Pauline got married --- 18 May 1991.

c. Chris is getting married --- this year.

120.3 Put in at, on or in.

1. Mozart was born in Salzburg --- 1756.

2. I haven't seen Kate for a few days. I last saw her --- Tuesday.

3. The price of electricity is going up --- October.

4. I've been invited to a wedding --- 14 February.

5. Hurry up! We've got to go --- five minutes.

6. I'm busy just now but I'll be with you --- a moment.

7. Jenny's brother is an engineer but he's out of work --- the moment.

8. There are usually a lot of parties --- New Year's Eve.

9. I hope the weather will be nice --- the weekend.

10. Saturday night I went to bed --- 11 o'clock.

11. I don't like travelling --- night.

12. We travelled overnight to Paris and arrived --- 5 o'clock --- the morning.

13. The course begins --- 7 January and ends sometime --- April.

14. It was quite a short book and easy to read. I read it --- a day.

15. I might not be at home --- Tuesday morning but I'll probably be there --- the afternoon.

16. My car is being repaired at the garage. It will be ready --- two hours.

17. The telephone and the doorbell rang --- the same time.

18. Mary and Henry always go out for a meal --- their wedding anniversary.

19. Henry is 63. He'll be retiring from his job --- two years' time.

UNIT 121 On time/in time, At the end/in the end

A. On time and in time

On time = punctual, not late. If something happens on time, it happens at the time which was planned:

* The 11.45 train left on time. (=it left at 11.45)

* 'I'll meet you at 7.30.' 'OK, but please be on time.' (= don't be late, be there at 7.30) * The conference was very well organised. Everything began and finished on time.

The opposite of on time is late:

* Be on time. Don't be late.]

In time (for something/to do something) = soon enough

* Will you be home in time for dinner? (= soon enough for dinner)

* I've sent Jill her birthday present. I hope it arrives in time (for her birthday). (= soon enough for her birthday)

* I must hurry. I want to get home in time to see the football match on television.

(= soon enough to see the football match)

The opposite of in time is too late:

* I got home too late to see the football match.

You can say just in time (=almost too late):

* We got to the station just in time to catch the train.

* A child ran across the road in front of the car, but I managed to stop just in time.

B. At the end and in the end

At the end (of something) =at the time when something ends. For example:

at the end of the month, at the end of January, at the end of the match, at the end of the film, at the end of the course, at the end of the concert

* I'm going away at the end of January/at the end of the month.

* At the end of the concert, there was great applause.

* All the players shook hands at the end of the match. You cannot say 'in the end of something'. So you cannot say 'in the end of January' or 'in the end of the concert'.

The opposite of at the end is at the beginning:

at the beginning of January, at the beginning of the concert

In the end = finally

We use in the end when we say what the final result of a situation was:

* We had a lot of problems with our car. In the end we sold it and bought another one. (= finally we sold it)

* He got more and more angry. In the end he just walked out of the room.

* Jim couldn't decide where to go for his holidays. He didn't go anywhere in the end. The opposite of in the end is usually at first:

* At first we didn't like each other very much, but in the end we became good friends.