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‘At the end’, ‘In the end’, ‘By the end’… Ah, English is a confusing language, isn’t it? This is one of the most common mistakes people commit worldwide. At the over of the day, it is about what is the use of in the end!
| In the end | At the end | By the end | |
| Definition | Commonly used as an idiom; Can be used synonymously as –– Finally – After all– After a long time– After considering everything– As a final result– After all the uncertainty has been resolved | – Commonly used literally to lớn denote the point of time– Preposition phrase that usually follows this syntax: ‘At the end of (a noun)‘– event occurring at the same time as the end | – Something that has finished happening before the over happens |
| Preposition Meaning | The preposition used: – “in”Meaning: – expressing the situation of something that is or appears to be enclosed or surrounded by something else. Bạn đang xem: At the end, in the end, by the end: difference explained! Source | The preposition used: – “At”Meaning: – expressing location or arrival in a particular place or position; expressing the time when an sự kiện takes place. Source | The preposition used: – “By”Meaning: – indicating a deadline or the end of a particular time period.; indicating the period in which something happens. Source |
| Examples | – He had a tough life. But, in the end, he looked content.– In the end, satisfaction is the only thing that matters in life. – She was excited to read that book since the launch was announced, but in the end, the book was a huge disappointment. | – She coughs at the end of almost every sentence. – You will get the bill at the end of the month based on your water usage.– If you go straight, you’ll find a gas station at the end of this road. | – All your bills should be paid by the end of this month. – By the end of the test, he was sure he would fail.– Our house had become a huge disaster by the end of the party. |
In this article, I have tried to lớn give as easy a distinction và explanation of every phrase as I can. However, if you still have any doubts, please feel free to reach out. Send your queries to us.
Meaning of ‘In the end’
In the end, it is an idiomatic phrase that means it is a phrase which is not meant to lớn be taken literally.
“In the end” is synonymous with –
finallyend of a long periodeverything said and doneA comma mostly follows this phrase: – “In the end, ….”
In this case, you usually give the premise of a situation và tell how it ended using the phrase “in the end”.
When the resolution is opposite of the premise, the conjunction “but” is used.
For example,
Something really bad happened but in the end, everything turned out okay. Something really nice happened but in the end, something bad took place.The premise và resolution need not be opposite. When the resolution is in line with the premise, the conjunction “and” is used.
For example,
Something good happened và in the end, the result was good too. Something bad happened và in the end, the result came out bad too.Let’s take an example of the famous song called “In the End” by Linkin Park. The song’s chorus says, “In the end, it doesn’t even matter” which means nothing matters by the end of everything. The songwriter uses this phrase in a conclusive tone.
In the end, the defense lawyer won the case.
Amy và Sam resolved their issues and in the end, they walked back home, hand-in-hand.
I kept on waiting for her. In the end, I went alone.
Meaning of ‘At the end’
At the end is a phrase used to lớn denote an end or finish of a particular time, place, or situation.
The preposition ‘At’ refers to lớn a location or a particular time.
Another difference between these two phrases is the use of the word ‘of’. When we use ‘at the end’ it’s always ‘of’ something, which means related to the location/time. However, when we don’t use ‘of’ after ‘in the end’.
is a synonym for ‘in conclusion.’ It doesn’t mean night or the end of the day. It means ‘conclusively’ something happened at a location or at a particular time. It means a point where something stops/ ends.
Meaning of ‘By the end’
The Difference Explained with Examples
A simple example can understand the difference between these terms.
Here are a few for at the end:
• She met him at the over of the movie outside the theatre.
• A tree fell in the thunderstorm at the kết thúc of the street.
• The HR said they’ll get back lớn me at the over of the day.
All these sentences refer khổng lồ a particular point in time(end of the movie, over of the day) or a specific location(outside the theatre, kết thúc of the street). Conclusively ‘at’ specifies a definite location/time.
Now, here are a few examples of ‘in the end’:
In the end, it’s the only family that matters.Practice always wins in the end.In the end, we didn’t go through with the purchase.All these sentences show that ‘in the end’ is a conclusive phrase. Therefore ‘in the end’ is a synonym for ‘finally.’
Examples
At the end examples and how lớn use them in a sentence:
Take a right from here, his house is at the over of the road.The teacher announced a thử nghiệm at the over of the lecture.When sick, try to lớn stay home. At the end of the day, it is about everyone’s safety.In the kết thúc examples & how to use them in a sentence:
In the end, the defense lawyer won the case.Amy và Sam resolved their issues & in the end, they walked back trang chủ hand-in-hand.I kept on waiting for her. In the end, I went alone.Conclusion
At the kết thúc of this article, you will know how lớn distinguish between the phases. In the end, it’s all about knowledge.
Xem thêm: Người Đàn Ông Nhiều Vợ Nhất Thế Giới Qua Đời, Top 13 Ngôi Sao Võ Thuật Hàng Đầu Trên Thế Giới
Table of contents – distinction of ‘in the end & at the end’
On this page you will find the following:Using ‘in the end’ & ‘at the end’Further explanations & exercises
When and how are ‘in the end’ và ‘at the end’ used?
English language learners may easily confuse the expressions in the end & at the end because of their similarities. However, care needs to be taken here, as the meaning differs. For details on their word order, see the adverbials of indefinite time
for ‘in the end’ and adverbials of place for ‘at the end’.Specifically, there are the following differences in meaning in usage:If the sense is ‘finally’, the adverbial word combination ‘in the end’ is used:“In the end, I decided not to lớn buy a new car.”“We had some misunderstandings, but in the end, everything was solved.”The phrase ‘at the end’, on the other hand, is utilised to lớn express the sense ‘towards the over of something’ or khổng lồ represent a spatial end:“I rarely have any money left at the end of the month.”Here, it appears in a figurative sense for a particular point in time.“At the kết thúc of the show, we all were exhausted.”This statement shows that a temporal meaning is possible as well.“There was a fire at the house at the over of the street.”This example demonstrates a spatial reference.Further explanations referring to lớn the ‘Use of ‘in the end’ and ‘at the end’’
The following explanations are related to the difference between ‘in the end’ & ‘at the end’ in English grammar và may also be interesting:Use & difference of ‘in time’ và ‘on time’Other difficult topics in the overviewExercise 1: using ‘in the end’ và ‘at the end’
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