Prepositions of Time GRAMMAR worksheets, task cards, & activities for Adult ESL

Most prepositions of time resources stop at in, on, and at, but your students need more, so how about twenty-one prepositions and time phrases in one comprehensive pack? This 59-page resource takes adult ESL grammar students well beyond in, on, and at and into the full range of time-related prepositions they come across when reading, listening, and speaking in English.

Prepositions are notoriously hard to teach because we almost always end up defining them using other prepositions. This pack works around that problem by pairing clear definitions with rich contextual practice, so students are building real understanding rather than swapping one vague explanation for another. The variety of activity types means they're approaching the same concepts from multiple angles.

PREPOSITIONS AND TIME PHRASES COVERED:

after | before | during | by | for | from…to | in | on | at | until | within | since | through | throughout | over | about | around | as of | in time | on time | on the dot | out of time

WHAT'S INSIDE this 59-page PDF:

• ✅ Grammar Guide with definitions and example sentences for all 21 prepositions and time phrases -- color and printer-friendly versions both included
• ✅ Card-based matching activity for pairs or small groups (tip: print sets on different colored paper for easy sorting)
• ✅ Differentiated matching worksheets -- Version A with fewer prepositions for additional scaffolding, Version B with all 21 on one page; answer keys included for both
• ✅ Definition task cards -- 21 cards, each with three-choice definitions; answer key and answer sheet included
• ✅ Contextual practice: Version A (multiple-choice, three pages) and Version B (fill-in-the-blank using the same sentences, more challenging); answer keys included
• ✅ Task card version of the contextual practice for station work or small group use
• ✅ Preposition Overtime worksheet -- students choose every preposition from a set that correctly fits a given sentence; answer key included
• ✅ Preposition Overtime Explanations worksheet -- students select all meanings that apply to the preposition in context; best used as a follow-up to Overtime; answer keys included
• ✅ Task card version of the Overtime Explanations activity
• ✅ Preposition Differences partner discussion -- students compare similar sentences and explain differences in meaning; example answers included
• ✅ Find Someone Who -- two levels of scaffolded speaking practice; Version A provides the full question, Version B has students form their own questions from prompts

WHY THIS WORKS FOR ADULT ESL STUDENTS

Your mid-beginner to low-intermediate adult ESL grammar students have likely already covered the basics on time prepositions. What they haven't had is a resource that respects how much they still need to learn about these prepositions AND gives them the practice to get there. 

The range of formats also means you're not locked into one way of teaching it. Some classes want worksheets. Others need movement. Some days call for partner discussion; others call for independent work. This pack gives you enough material to make real choices about what your students need.

It also works well with older teen native English-speakers who are ready for content that takes them seriously while they fill gaps in their grammar knowledge.