Back to Blog

Training Your Ear for the Tiny Words That Disappear

English prepositions are confusing. "In the morning" but "at night." Why?

There's no logical reason. But the patterns are fixed. Native speakers use them automatically.

For listening, these tiny prepositions create big problems. They disappear in fast speech.

The Fixed Patterns

Use "in":

  • In the morning
  • In the afternoon
  • In the evening

Use "at":

  • At noon
  • At night
  • At midnight
  • At dawn

No exceptions. No logic. Just memorize.

Why This Matters for Listening

Native speakers reduce these prepositions heavily:

What you expect: "See you in the morning" What you hear: "See ya 'n the morning"

What you expect: "Call me at night"
What you hear: "Call me 't night"

The prepositions almost vanish.

The Disappearing Act

"In" becomes "'n":

  • "I work 'n the morning"
  • "We meet 'n the afternoon"

"At" becomes " u’ ":

  • "I’m going home -u’- night"
  • "Lunch is u’ noon"

High-Intensity Recognition Training

Practice recognizing these reduced forms:

Step 1: Listen for the vanishing prepositions

Step 2: Practice saying them reduced

Step 3: Listen to fast English and identify them

Common Listening Challenges

Challenge 1: Missing the preposition entirely

  • Heard: "I'll call you morning"
  • Meant: "I'll call you in the morning"

Challenge 2: Confusing the preposition

  • Heard: "Meet me n morning"
  • Meant: "Meet me in the morning" (not "at morning")

The Recognition Strategy

Don't try to hear the full preposition. Listen for:

  • "'n" = in
  • "' u’ " = at

Then match with the time expression:

  • "'n th morning" = in the morning
  • "' u’ night" = at night

Practice Patterns

Morning routine:

  • "I get up 'n the morning"
  • "I have coffee 'n the morning"
  • "I check email 'n the morning"

Evening routine:

  • "I go home 'n the evening"
  • "I cook dinner 'n the evening"
  • "I relax 'n the evening"

Night activities:

  • "I sleep u’ night"
  • "I study u’ night"
  • "I work u’ night" (night shift)

Repetition Training

Practice these reduced forms repeatedly:

Say them 20 times fast:

  • "'n the morning, 'n the morning, 'n the morning..."
  • " u’ night, u’ night, u’ night..."

Build the sound patterns in your brain.

Real-World Examples

Business calls:

  • "Let's schedule this 'n the morning"
  • "I'll send the report 'n the afternoon"

Casual conversation:

  • "What do you do u’ night?"
  • "I'm busy 'n the evening"

The Bottom Line

These prepositions will reduce in fast speech. Accept it. Train for it.

Focus on recognizing "'n" and "'t" instead of fighting for perfect clarity.

Your listening comprehension improves immediately.