When we talk about a person or thing that is not late, we can say the person or thing is on time.
- I am usually on time for work. I am usually not late for work.
- I hope the meeting starts on time.
- Do you think the train will come on time today?
The opposite expression is late
- Jack was late for work. Jack was not on time for work.
- Dale said the meeting started late this morning.
- Do you think the train will come late today?
When we talk about a person or thing that happens with enough time or early enough before something starts, we use in time.
- I arrived at the office in time for the meeting. I arrived before the meeting started.
- I hope we can get to the station in time for the express train.
- Even though there was traffic, I was in time for the movie.
When we talk about a person or thing that is almost late (but not late), we can use just in time.
- I arrived at the office just in time for the meeting. I was almost late.
- We got to the station just in time for the express train.
- Because there was a lot of traffic, I was just in time for the movie.
Do you usually arrive at school or your office on time, in time, or just in time? Feel free to leave a comment here for us!
Keep in mind the best way to remember this or any vocabulary in English is to take the word or phrase write it in a sentence that’s true for you or true in your world and then memorize your sentences.
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Comments 2
Actually, the phrase ‘in time’ is used when referring to doing something: We got home in time to watch the game on TV.
That’s right. It means, we were not late for the game