1
Place Rule — Zoom Level
IN Inside enclosed spaces → in the room, in Paris
ON On a surface → on the desk, on the wall
AT Specific point → at the door, at home
AT Clock time / moment → at 7 PM, at night
ON Day / date → on Monday, on July 4th
IN Month / year / season → in May, in 2024
3
Duration — Length vs Start
FOR How long → for 3 hours, for 2 weeks
SINCE Starting point → since Monday, since 2020
BY Deadline → finish by 5 PM
UNTIL Continues up to → open until 9 PM
BY Transport / method → by car, by email
WITH Tool → with a pen, with scissors
IN Language → in English, in a loud voice
ON foot Exception for walking (NOT "by foot")
FOR + noun For lunch, for breakfast
TO + verb To eat, to learn
BECAUSE OF Cause + noun → because of rain
DUE TO Formal cause after BE → delay is due to traffic
⚠️ Top 8 Traps to Avoid
- ❌ "at London" → ✅ in London
- ❌ "in the night" → ✅ at night
- ❌ "since 3 hours" → ✅ for 3 hours
- ❌ "with car" → ✅ by car
- ❌ "by foot" → ✅ on foot
- ❌ "among two" → ✅ between two
- ❌ "between the crowd" → ✅ among the crowd
- ❌ "FOR eat" → ✅ TO eat / FOR eating
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