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Revision of the grammar rule through listening and explanation.

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We use many different prepositions for talking about time. Here we are looking at: in, on, at, during and for.
We use in, on and at for lots of different times. Here's a table comparing the uses:

Months: in January / in April
Seasons: in spring / in winter
Years: in 1984 / in 2015
Centuries: in the 20th century
Times of day: in the morning / in the evening
Longer periods of time: in the past / in the 1990s / in the holidays

Days of the week: on Monday
Days + parts of days: on Tuesday afternoon / on Saturday mornings
Dates: on November 22nd
Special days: on my birthday / on New Year's Eve

Clock times: at 7.30 a.m. / at 5 o'clock
Festivals: at Christmas / at Easter
Exceptions: at night / at the weekend

Wow! That's a lot of uses! So I have to learn all those?

Yes, but you probably know most of them, don't you?

Yes, maybe ... Is that all of them? I mean, are there any exceptions?

Well, sometimes we don't use a preposition of time, for example after next/ this/ last/ every.
We go skateboarding every Saturday afternoon.
I'll see you next Friday.
Mm, but I could also say: " I'll see you on Friday."

Oh yes, that's fine too. But we often leave out on with days of the week when we're speaking.
I'll see you Friday.
OK. Now, about dates ... You write " on 8th July " but how do you say that?

Good question! We say " on the eighth of July ".

OK, so I have to remember to say " on THE eighth OF July ".

Exactly.

One last question about in. Can I use it for the future, as in " I'll do it in a minute"?

Yes, that's very common. We use in for talking about something in the future a certain length of time from now.
She'll be back in a moment.
We're going awayin two weeks.
And can I say, " We're going away for two weeks"?

Yes, but the meaning is completely different.
We're going away in two weeks. (= we leave two weeks from now)
We're going awayfor two weeks. (= our holiday will be two weeks long)
Ah, and what about "We're going away during two weeks"?

No, you can't say that. We use for + a length of time, to say how long something goes on for, and during + a noun / noun phrase, to say when something happens.
It snowed for three hours.
It snowedduring the night.
OK, that's a useful rule. But, hang on, I can also say " It snowed in the night".

And: " I did a lot of work in the holidays" or " I did a lot of work during the holidays"?

Yes, you've got the hang of this.

Good, so now I'm going to study for a few hours. I'll see you on Tuesday, in the morning, at about 10 o'clock.

See you at some time during the morning!

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Daisy is at home. She has a note for Sophie from the headmaster ...

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We use used to + verb for talking about states or actions that were true or happened in the past, but are not true or do not happen now.
Can you give me some examples?

Yes, of course.
London's nothing like it used to be!
She used to go away on really long trips.
OK. So now she doesn't go away on really long trips?

Exactly. Used to is always for talking about actions or states in the past that are not true now.
The record shop I always used to visit is now a really cool café. (I don't visit the place now.)
Why can't you use the past simple?

Well, you can, of course. But we use used to to emphasise that the state or action is not true now or does not happen now.

What about the negative?

We use do in the past + not + the infinitive, use to + verb. The question is formed in a similar way.
He didn't use to wear nice clothes and recently he's been looking quite cool.
So what elsedid you use to go to London for?
That's quite a long construction - three verbs!

Yes, but used to doesn't change - it's always in the past simple.

Always in the past simple? So you can't use it in the present?

No, it's a strange verb. We only use it in the past.

I think I used to use it in the present too.

Oh dear. You won't any more, will you?

No, I didn't use to know the rules, but now I do.

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Sophie is working closer to home this week. She's in London and she has a surprise for Oliver and Daisy.