He came to me ______ midnight.
2019
He came to me ______ midnight.
- A.
in
- B.
on
- C.
at
- D.
upon
Attempted by 6 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
Prepositions of time fall into three levels of precision: "at" names a precise point on the clock or timeline, "on" names a specific day or date, and "in" names a longer enclosing span (a month, a year, a season, or a broad part of the day).
Application
"midnight" is a single exact moment in time — 12 o'clock at night — not a day, a date, or a long stretch. The preposition that pairs with an exact clock point is "at", giving "He came to me at midnight."
Contrast
in — used for enclosing spans (in May, in the morning), too broad for one exact moment.
on — used for specific days/dates (on Monday, on 4 July), but midnight is a time point, not a day.
upon — a formal variant of "on" (upon arrival), so it carries the same mismatch as "on".
Cross-check: the fixed expressions "at noon" and "at midnight" both take "at", confirming that exact times of day use "at".