AT the end = at a point in time
IN the end = finally / a final result
AT THE END
We normally use AT for a time such as AT 9 o’clock or AT night. Similarly, the phrase at the end means at the time when something ends. The phrase at the beginning means at the time when something starts or begins.
Examples:
| at the end of the film | at the end of the show |
| at the end of the match | at the beginning of December |
| at the end of the month | at the beginning of the month |
| at the end of the English course | at the beginning of the lesson |
IN THE END
We use in the end means finally. So, we use it to mean a final resolution or final result of a situation. The phrase at first is the opposite of in the end.
Example Sentences
- It was a very tough match but they won in the end.
- He studied very hard for his English test and passed in the end.
- We couldn’t decide what to do so. In the end, we just stayed at home.
- She went to thirty job interviews but got her dream job in the end.
- At first she didn’t like me at all but we became best friends in the end.
- At first she couldn’t find a job but she got three job offers in the end.
Compare the following:
- At the end of the film, they got married. (Meaning:
- He scored a goal at the end of the match. (Meaning: the match was almost finished when he scored)
- Our English teacher always gives us lessons at the end of the lesson. (Meaning: just before the lesson finishes)
- She always says she is going to give us lots of homework but doesn’t give us any in the end. (Meaning: she tells us that we will get homework but the final situation is that we don’t get any).
In Fairy Tales, the princess always marries the frog at the end. (Meaning: the marriage happens in the final pages of the book).
In Fairy Tales, the princess always marries the frog in the end. (Meaning: The princess marries the frog after some problems or difficulties).