At the end of the day we went home. In the end, it was a long day.

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At the end of the game, our team won. In the end, our team won.We were happy in the end. We weren’t happy at the end of the movie.The heroes won in the end. The heroes celebrated at the end of their journey.

If the uses of these phrases aren’t clear yet, keep reading – they’ll make perfect sense in the end, as it’s explained at the end of this introduction. You’ll also find some handy tips for mastering the difference between at and in in general.


What’s the difference between ‘at the end’ and ‘in the end’?

Simply put, at the end refers to a specific time or location, whilst in the end is an idiomatic phrase that means in conclusion or in summary. However, the difference between at the end and in the end shows one of the main differences between use of the prepositions at and in.

Consider these examples:

We ate at the dinner table. But We ate in the dining room.

At in all these examples refers to lớn a specific time or location; in refers lớn being inside a general area. At the kết thúc is used khổng lồ point khổng lồ the over as a specific point in time, whilst in the over is used, more idiomatically, khổng lồ talk about a general “end” zone: the summary or conclusion.

This could be demonstrated in a diagram. If we were talking about a film: 


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At the end of the day, in the end…

At the kết thúc of the dayIn the end, can both be used idiomatically lớn mean ‘in conclusion’. But At the end, and In the end of the day, are both incorrect – because the rules that make them different (above), also tell you how to khung the idioms:

At the over of the day, I was tired.In the end, I was tired.

These sentences could be taken literally (meaning exactly what it says) or figuratively (using the general idiomatic meaning). If you are unsure about how to apply the prepositions, even in idioms, thinking about the grammatical use of the words can help you decide. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments, and if you found this useful, please giới thiệu it!


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Did you know that the phrases “at the end” và “in the end” aren’t synonymous? We’ll đánh giá their distinctions below.

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Do you know the difference between “at the end” và “in the end”?
At the kết thúc is commonly used as a prepositional phrase that refers lớn a specific time or location.○ His house is located at the end of the street. In the kết thúc is a phrase that is synonymous khổng lồ “in conclusion,” or “ultimately.”○ In the end, I decided on the bouquet of tulips. .

Is It “At The End” or “In The End”?

At the end & in the end are common phrases. But vì chưng they mean the same thing? After all, the only difference between them are the prepositions.

Yes, there’s a difference. Below, we’ll tell you when you should use at the end and in the end.

When khổng lồ Use “At The End”

At the end is most commonly used as a prepositional phrase that refers to lớn a specific time or location. Keep in mind that when used this way, at the end is always followed by of.

At the end of the show, we got up and left.

In the example above, at the end helps indicate a specific time which was when the movie ended.

We were told that the bakery is at the end of the shopping plaza.

In this example, at the over specifies a location.

The prepositional phrase at the end is followed by of + a noun, even if it’s abstract.

I am at the end of my patience.

In the example above, at the end helps disclose that the person’s patience has come khổng lồ an end.

Remember that you can use at the kết thúc correctly if you use it the same way you would at the beginning.

I was at the beginning of the line.I was at the end of the line.

When to lớn Use “In The End”

In the end is an idiomatic expression that can mean “ultimately,” “when everything is considered,” or “in conclusion.”

In the end, we decided on a destination wedding.They tried their best and in the end, they made a big difference.In the end, the experiment was inconclusive.

It’s important to cảnh báo that the expression at the kết thúc of the day is an expression that is similar to meaning to in the end. Consider the following sentence:

At the end of the day, we did what was best for the team.

In the sentence above, at the kết thúc of the day may not be literally referring lớn the kết thúc of a day. Instead, it’s being used as an idiom that means “in the end” or “ultimately.

In the end, we did what was best for the team.

“At The End” vs. “In The End”

Whether you’re an English language learner or a native speaker, the distinctions between at the endin the end can be a little hard to lớn follow. Just try lớn remember this:

Use at the end when you’re referring to lớn the kết thúc of something or want to lớn indicate a specific time or place.Use in the end when you want to refer to the outcome of events or disclose a result.

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Another foolproof way of using these expressions correctly is by making Language
Tool your writing assistant. This intelligent text editor can inform you when you’ve used an incorrect preposition và can also correct spelling mistakes.