Hi, Hадежда, As regards your quesiton, It means that the person could not be ''on time'' for the appointment. --> Similar though these expressions may be, there is still a slight difference in meaning between them. Below is an explanation on the usage of ''on time'' and ''in time'': 1) ON TIME ''On time'' means that there is a specific time established when something is supposed/expected to happen, and it is happening at the planned time. E.g.: ''My job interview is scheduled for 4:00 PM.'' ''If I arrive at 4:00 PM, I am on time for the interview.'' E.g.: ''The flight is scheduled to leave at 10:30 AM.'' ''If it leaves at 10:30 AM, the flight is leaving on time.'' E.g.: ''The class is supposed to start at 9:00.'' ''If it does start at 9:00 with no delays, it is starting on time.'' * If you say “He’s always on time” it means he is punctual; he always arrives at the correct time, he is not late. * If you say “He’s never on time” it means he is always late. 2) IN TIME ''In time'' means that something happened at the last moment before it was too late; before something bad would happen. E.g.: ''The accident victim was seriously injured; they got him to the hospital just in time.'' (If they hadn’t arrived at the hospital, he might have died) E.g.: ''I missed the opportunity to go to that college because I didn’t submit my application in time.'' E.g.: ''I left home early and arrived in plenty of time to catch my flight.'' E.g.: ''I got stuck in traffic and arrived just in time to catch my flight.'' * We often say “just in time” to emphasize that something happened immediately before the limit/deadline, as you can see by comparing the last two example sentences. Hope that helps!!!

On time