10

DEVELOPING SKILLS Set B
Unit 10 Prepositions of time Grammar & Usage
Grammar & Usage

Unit 10 Prepositions of time
10.1 Prepositions with time expressions
10.2 Other prepositions of time
10.3 Prepositions/prepositional phrases
10.4 Do not use a preposition of time before …
Grammar Practice
Part A Part B Part C Part D Part E
Language Practice
Part A Part B
http://www.aristo.com.hk
1
10.1 Prepositions with time expressions

We use different prepositions with different time expressions.
The match will at 4 this afternoon.

be telecast live
on September 28.
in the afternoon.
P.78
2
The table below shows how the prepositions at, on and in are
used:
at on in
• with exact • with specific  for longer periods of
points in time days/dates time
• with
holidays/festivals
at 9 a.m. on Monday in March
at lunchtime on Wednesday in 2008
at Christmas on March 22 in the last century
Teacher’s notes
P.78
3
at on in
• we also say: • we also say:  we also say:
at night/ on Monday in the morning/

midnight morning afternoon/evening
at the weekend on the evening in the night/the

of March 22 middle of the night
at dawn/
daybreak/ on that day/a in modern times
sunrise/noon/ cold day
in one’s absence
dusk/sunset on National
Day
P.78
5
at on in
• we also say: • we also say:  we also say:
at first/last on my birthday in the presence of
at the same on this occasion in the past

time on his arrival/ in those days
at present/the departure
in (the) future
moment on Christmas
at the age of Eve/Day
at the
beginning of
P.78
6
at on in
• we normally • on + gerund (also  we also use in:
omit at when we upon) (a) to talk about a
ask (At) what period of time in
On hearing
time ...? the future
the news, she
informally.
collapsed. I’ll be back in
What time are half an hour.
Compare:
you leaving
(b) to say how long
tonight? Upon hearing
(informal) it takes to do
the news, she something
Compare: collapsed.
(more formal) I finished the
At what time are novel in
you leaving three days.
tonight? (formal)
Teacher’s notes
P.78
7
10.2 Other prepositions of time

Here are some examples of other prepositions of time:
I did some reading before/after dinner.
The shop opens from 9.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m./is
open between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 p.m. every
day.
I haven’t seen her since last year/for a year.
They talked about the good old days over dinner.
(= during)
She remained silent throughout the meeting.
(= from the beginning to the end of the meeting)
P.79
9
10.3 Prepositions/prepositional phrases
• by and We use by to mean not later than. We use until to

until show how long a situation continues.
‘You must be home by 11 o’clock,’ Mr Tam said
to his daughter.
‘I’ll be here until 12 noon,’ he said. ‘If anyone
calls in the afternoon, please ask them to leave a
message.’
‘I won’t be back until 2 p.m.,’ he said. ‘If anyone
calls in the morning, please ask them to call
again in the afternoon.’
P.79
10
• in and We use in and during for a period of time, often

during with the same meaning.
It rained heavily in/during the night.
But we prefer to use during for something which
continues throughout a period of time.
My parents visited in Guangzhou during the
winter break.
We also use during, not in, to refer to an activity
(a visit, a meal, etc.)
She mentioned your name during lunch/the
meeting.
 Wrong: She mentioned your name in
lunch.
P.79
11
• on time Our train arrived on time. (= Our train was not

and in late.)
time
We arrived at the station in time to catch our
train.
(= We arrived soon enough to catch our train.)
• at the At the end of the show, the performers came

end out to take the curtain calls. (= when the show
and in ended)
the end
At first the new boy failed in many subjects, but
in the end he managed to keep up with the rest
of the class. (= finally, eventually)
P.79
12
10.4 We do not use a preposition of time before today,

yesterday, tomorrow, last (month, week, etc), this
(morning, year, etc.), next (Friday, Easter, etc.), every
(weekend, morning, etc.), (two days, three hours) later,
etc.
We’ll have a picnic this Sunday.
 Wrong: on this Sunday.

Compare: The missing girl was found two
days later.
I’ll give you an answer in two days.
P.79
13
Grammar Practice
Write the missing prepositions in the sentences. If no
preposition is needed, put a cross ‘’ in the blank. The first
question has been completed.
Teacher’s notes
P.80
14
1 Mr Chan doesn’t normally work _________

at weekends,

but he had to work _________ last Saturday.
2 
I’m going on holiday _________ tomorrow, but I’ll be
in
back _________ a week’s time.
3 in
She learned to use the computer _________ a few days.
4 in
She woke early _________ the morning, but didn’t get
at
out of bed until her alarm clock rang _________
8 o’clock.
P.80
16
5 I know that girl. I’ve met her _________

on several occasions.
6 during the war

She was separated from her parents _________
and they weren’t reunited _________
until many years later.
7 
The concert is _________ this Friday.
8 I sometimes take my grandmother to the cinema, but she

during the film.
usually falls asleep _________
P.80
17
Some of the underlined prepositions in the following

sentences are incorrect. Correct them. If the sentence is
correct, put a ‘’ at the end of the sentence. The first two
have been done for you.
P.80
18
on
1 I’ll see you again in Sunday.
2 It’s been raining for days. 
3 Tom and Rachel were born in the same year. 
4 Mr Lee is in Shanghai at this moment. 

on
5 The trains depart at the hour.
P.80
19
On/Upon
6 At seeing the scene, his jaw dropped in disbelief.
upon/on
7 Guests are requested to sign the visitors’ book in
arrival at reception.
8 Please wait for me. I’ll be back in a moment. 

at
9 Do you believe in love on first sight?
until
10 We won’t be able to make any plans before we get
more information.
P.80
20
Prepositions are missing from some of the following

sentences. If a preposition is missing, put a ‘ ^’ sign and
write the correction above it. If no preposition is needed, put
a ‘’ at the end of the sentence. The first two have been done
for you.
P.81
21
at
1 He left home 7.15 this morning.
^
2 I won’t be home for dinner this evening. 

in
3 I’ll return your DVD a day or two.
^
4 Are you free next Saturday? 

until
5 He isn’t expected to return to Hong Kong the middle
^
of next month.
P.81
22
6 They’ll deliver the goods the day after tomorrow. 

in
7 He’s been lucky the past.
^
8 The workers held a meeting over lunch. 
9 Mr and Mrs Chan are not leaving until the end of the month. 
on
10 I met an old friend my way to school this morning.
^
P.81
23
on/during
11 We met a lot of interesting people the trip.
^
in/during
12 There was a heated argument the meeting yesterday.
^
P.81
24
Fill in each blank in the following dialogue with a suitable

preposition. The first one has been done for you.
P.81
25
Eric Last night, I watched a programme (1) on

(1) ____________
TV about the origin of April Fool’s

Day.
Jenny That sounds interesting.
Eric Well, (2) the 1950’s, a British in

(2) ____________
television channel broadcast a

documentary (3) Swiss villagers about
(3) ____________
harvesting spaghetti (4) trees. from

(4) ____________
P.81
26
Eric The programme attracted millions of

viewers and hundreds of enquiries (5) about
(5) ____________
how to grow ‘spaghetti trees’.
Jenny I don’t believe it! How could people

be so foolish? I don’t think it’s right
(6) the media to give make-up news (7) for
(6) ____________
the public. to
(7) ____________
P.81
27
Eric I couldn’t agree more. You know, (8) in

(8) ____________
the 1940’s, a tsunami caused (9) a by

(9) ____________
strong earthquake (10) the Aleutian in/near

(10) ____________
Islands killed 165 people in Hawaii

and Alaska. Before the disaster
struck, they’d been warned (11) the of/about
(11) ____________
imminent danger, but many

dismissed the warnings (12) a prank. as
(12) ____________
Jenny What a tragedy!
P.82
28
Match the sentences in Column A with the time expressions

in Column B. Write your answers in the spaces provided.
Use each letter ONCE only. The first has been done for you.
P.82
29
Column A
1 I work more effectively D

_________
2 I’ll be with you A

_________
3 I didn’t receive your letter J

_________
4 She lived in Shatin from 1973 I

_________
5 They were in Spain between February F

_________
COLUMN B P.82
30
Column A
6 They had a heated debate H

_________
7 Mr Chan felt tired B

_________
8 I haven’t heard from her E

_________
9 We haven’t seen each other C

_________
10 The fireworks began G

_________
COLUMN B P.82
32
Language Practice
Fill in each blank with one suitable word which best
completes the structure. The first one has been done for you.
P.83
34
Rachel dragged her bulging luggage (1) the to

(1) ____________
check-in counter (2) Denpasar airport, nervous at

(2) ____________
that customs would discover the pirated DVDs

she was taking back to Australia.
But the airline staff did not (3) an eyebrow: raise

(3) ____________
she was just another tourist taking advantage

of the Hollywood hits which selling for less
than a bag of popcorn.
P.83
35
‘They’re a bargain,’ Rachel had told her

friends. ‘I don’t see what’s wrong (4) that.’ with
(4) ____________
Back in town, the shop where Rachel had

bought the illegal copies was doing a lively
business. ‘Business is good,’ said the shop
manager. keen/hoping/
trying/
The Indonesian government, (5) to win back desperate
(5) ____________
international investors’ confidence, is

effort/
showing increased (6) in tackling this (6) determination
____________
contentious issue. P.83
36
Raids on illegal DVD factories have

increased and (7) January 12 of this year, on
(7) ____________
customs officers at Jakarta’s main port seized

fighting/
730,000 pirated PlayStation 2 games. combating/
addressing/
‘They appear to be getting serious about (8) tackling
(8) ____________
intellectual piracy,’ said Mike Ellis, regional

director of the Motion Picture Association,
(9) a recent interview. Members of the in
(9) ____________
in
association had lost US$900 million (10) the Asia (10) ____________
-Pacific region last year due to piracy, he revealed. P.83
37
Read the following information, then complete the news

report using the words in brackets. The first sentence has
been completed for you.
P.84
38
A significant number of children are left unattended at

home. Child negligence, which amounts to child abuse,
is socially unacceptable and the public should notify
the police if they know of or suspect any cases.
P.84
39
Boy left at home
called the police at 11.30

An eight-year-old boy (1) ______________________________
last night
___________________________ (call/police/11.30/last night).
his father left him on Saturday
He said (2) __________________________________________
afternoon
_________________ (his father/leave/him/Saturday afternoon)
he had been alone since
and that (3) _________________________________________
(he/be/alone/since).
INFORMATION P.84
40
receiving the call

The police acted immediately after (4) ____________________
(receive/call). The boy was taken to hospital for examination
was kept in overnight for observation
and (5) _____________________________________________
(keep in/overnight/observation). Meanwhile, the boy’s father was
brought in for questioning
contacted and (6) _____________________________________
(bring in/questioning).
INFORMATION P.84
42
classify the type of case as

The police (7) __________________________________
child abuse
___________________ (classify/type of/case/child abuse).
had been left without
According to neighbours, the boy (8) ______________________
food on many occasions (leave/without/food/many
_________________________
occasions). ‘He (9) _____________________________________
has to look after himself
(have to/look after/himself) most of the time,’ one neighbour
added.
INFORMATION P.84
44
‘Many accidents (10) _________________________________

happen at home
are left
(happen/home) when young children (11) _________________
unattended
__________________________ (leave/unattended),’ said S.K.
Lui, director of the organisation, Against Child Abuse. ‘Even if
they are not physically hurt
(12) _______________________________________________
(they/not/physically hurt), children may develop emotional and

behavioural problems.’
INFORMATION P.84
46

10

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

10

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

DEVELOPING SKILLS Set B

Unit 10 Prepositions of time Grammar & Usage

Grammar & Usage

10.1 Prepositions with time expressions

The match will at 4 this afternoon.

at night/ on Monday in the morning/

at the weekend on the evening in the night/the

at first/last on my birthday in the presence of

at the same on this occasion in the past

10.2 Other prepositions of time

10.3 Prepositions/prepositional phrases

• by and We use by to mean not later than. We use until to

• in and We use in and during for a period of time, often

• on time Our train arrived on time. (= Our train was not

• at the At the end of the show, the performers came

10.4 We do not use a preposition of time before today,

 Wrong: on this Sunday.

1 Mr Chan doesn’t normally work _________

5 I know that girl. I’ve met her _________

6 during the war

8 I sometimes take my grandmother to the cinema, but she

Some of the underlined prepositions in the following

2 It’s been raining for days. 

3 Tom and Rachel were born in the same year. 

4 Mr Lee is in Shanghai at this moment. 

8 Please wait for me. I’ll be back in a moment. 

Prepositions are missing from some of the following

2 I won’t be home for dinner this evening. 

4 Are you free next Saturday? 

6 They’ll deliver the goods the day after tomorrow. 

8 The workers held a meeting over lunch. 

Fill in each blank in the following dialogue with a suitable

Eric Last night, I watched a programme (1) on

TV about the origin of April Fool’s

Jenny That sounds interesting.

Eric Well, (2) the 1950’s, a British in

television channel broadcast a

harvesting spaghetti (4) trees. from

Eric The programme attracted millions of

how to grow ‘spaghetti trees’.

Jenny I don’t believe it! How could people

Eric I couldn’t agree more. You know, (8) in

the 1940’s, a tsunami caused (9) a by

strong earthquake (10) the Aleutian in/near

Islands killed 165 people in Hawaii

imminent danger, but many

Jenny What a tragedy!

Match the sentences in Column A with the time expressions

1 I work more effectively D

2 I’ll be with you A

3 I didn’t receive your letter J

4 She lived in Shatin from 1973 I

5 They were in Spain between February F

6 They had a heated debate H

7 Mr Chan felt tired B

8 I haven’t heard from her E

9 We haven’t seen each other C

10 The fireworks began G

Rachel dragged her bulging luggage (1) the to

check-in counter (2) Denpasar airport, nervous at

that customs would discover the pirated DVDs

But the airline staff did not (3) an eyebrow: raise

she was just another tourist taking advantage

‘They’re a bargain,’ Rachel had told her