on yesterday

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "on yesterday" is not grammatically correct in written English. In this context, "on" is a preposition and "yesterday" is an adverb. When used together, they create a redundancy and result in an awkward and incorrect sentence structure. Instead, it would be more appropriate to use "yesterday" as an adverb on its own, such as "I went to the store yesterday." Alternatively, you could use "on" with a specific day, such as "on Monday" or "on the 5th of July." Incorrect: I went to the store on yesterday. Correct: I went to the store yesterday. Incorrect: My sister's birthday was on yesterday. Correct: My sister's birthday was yesterday. Incorrect: I had a meeting on yesterday. Correct: I had a meeting yesterday. Example: "I was planning on attending the event on yesterday, but something came up and I had to cancel."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

These were the socks that he had put on yesterday morning in Moscow.

The New Yorker

MR. GIBSON: Just to add to that, I noticed you put one on yesterday.

The New York Times

The scene of the killing was an emotional one on yesterday, as people laid flowers at a makeshift memorial while five police officers looked on.

Independent

Tonight's Newsnight index doesn't go that far, but it does put the SNP on 48 seats, up one on yesterday.

BBC

It's better in the sense that some of the beaches — like the one we were walking on yesterday — are not totally covered with oil.

The New Yorker

And one of the team said: 'You didn't have that frock on yesterday.

The New York Times

Eastman Kodak signed on yesterday.

The New York Times - Sports

He was operated on yesterday.

The Guardian - Sport

The officer said, 'There wasn't a light on yesterday.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

• Wacky goings-on yesterday at the Trades Union Congress annual conference in Glasgow.

The Guardian

Lena Dunham addressed the accusations that she sexually abused her younger sister head-on yesterday, dismissing the critics as her "enemy party".

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When needing to specify a day, use "on" with specific days of the week (e.g., "on Monday") or dates (e.g., "on July 5th") instead of combining "on" with "yesterday".

Common error

Avoid using "on yesterday" because "yesterday" already implies 'on the previous day'. Using 'on' before 'yesterday' is redundant and grammatically incorrect.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "on yesterday" functions as an adverbial modifier, attempting to specify when something occurred. However, it's grammatically unconventional. As indicated by Ludwig AI, the preposition "on" is redundant with the adverb "yesterday".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Formal & Business

5%

Science

5%

Less common in

Academia

1%

Wiki

1%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "on yesterday" is a grammatically incorrect construction, despite its relatively frequent usage, especially in news and media contexts. According to Ludwig AI, the preposition "on" is redundant because "yesterday" itself already defines the time frame. To correct this, simply use "yesterday" as an adverb without the preposition. While the phrase is commonly encountered, especially in journalistic writing, sticking to "yesterday" ensures grammatical accuracy and precision. Related alternatives include the expression: "the day before today".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

yesterday

Removes the preposition "on", using "yesterday" as an adverb.

happened yesterday

Adds a verb to clarify that something occurred on the specified day.

the day before today

Replaces "yesterday" with a more descriptive phrase.

the previous day

Uses a formal alternative to "yesterday".

during yesterday

Emphasizes that something happened throughout the course of the previous day.

in yesterday's session

Specifies that something happened in a session.

on the preceding day

Offers a more formal and less common synonym.

earlier this week

Broadens the timeframe, indicating an event happened sometime before today.

the other day

Specifies an unspecified day in the recent past.

last 24 hours

Emphasizes that event happened the past 24 hours.

FAQs

Is it grammatically correct to say "on yesterday"?

No, it is not grammatically correct. The correct way to express something that happened the day before today is to simply use "yesterday" as an adverb.

What can I say instead of "on yesterday"?

The most direct replacement is "yesterday". It's concise and grammatically sound.

How do I use "yesterday" correctly in a sentence?

"Yesterday" is an adverb, so you can use it like this: "I saw a movie "yesterday""."

Why is "on yesterday" considered incorrect?

The preposition "on" is unnecessary because "yesterday" already specifies the day. It's similar to saying "on last Tuesday" – the "on" is redundant.