Do you ever get confused about when to use IN, ON, and AT?
Well, let us help
Today we’re going to talk about those tricky little words.
We’ll take a close look at 2 expressions, which are very commonly used in business, and can be confusing for non-native English speakers:
Are you “on time” or “in time”?
¬ “on time”: Refers to a specific time, so on or before that time.
EXAMPLE: Let’s say you plan to attend a conference that is scheduled to begin at 9:00am.
If you arrive at 9:00 or earlier, you are “on time”.
If you arrive after 9:00, then you are “not on time”.
¬ “in time”: Refers to a specific event, and not missing out on that event
EXAMPLE: Let’s say you want to give something to your colleagues to take with them on their business trip.
If you succeed to give it to them before they leave, you will have reached them “in time”.
If you don’t succeed to give it to them before they leave, then you will not have reached them “in time”.
Here are some more examples:
¬ “They were just about to close the airplane doors. I arrived just in time”.
¬ “I’m almost always on time for work.”
¬ The deadline is Monday. I hope I finish my college application in time. If not, I will have to wait another year to apply.”
¬ “I used to go to an old movie theatre where they rarely started the movie on time.”
I hope today’s post has been helpful. Let us know…
And join us next week for more helpful tips on Mistake-free Mondays.
