in the first place/in the beginning/at first/first

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	Angliholic  #437575  Thu, 01 Nov 07 12:57 PM To really be happy, you need to understand what makes you happy in the first place. I doubt if in the first place in the above is interchangeable with in the beginning/at first/first. Your advice? Thanks.    Angliholic Joined on Wed, Feb 14 2007 SomewhereinFormosa Veteran Member (5,511) Without true love, life is meaningless and worthless since our physical world is nothing but a dream. ~~Angliholic~~簡瑞達

	Yankee  #437581  Thu, 01 Nov 07 01:05 PM Hi Angliholic You could replace 'in the first place' with 'first' in that sentence.    Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Senior Member (4,260) Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

	Marius Hancu  #437586  Thu, 01 Nov 07 01:10 PM  Yankee wrote: You could replace 'in the first place' with 'first' in that sentence. Yes, but then I'd change the order: To really be happy, you need first to understand what makes you happy.    Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Montreal, Canada Veteran Member (11,673)

	Yankee  #437598  Thu, 01 Nov 07 01:29 PM  Marius Hancu wrote: Yes, but then I'd change the order: I'd leave the word order exactly the same.    Yankee
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	Angliholic  #437599  Thu, 01 Nov 07 01:29 PM Thanks, Yankee and Marius, for your helpful replies. By the way, could you explain in a few words why the other two don't do the trick because I'm still in doubt?    Angliholic

	Yankee  #437608  Thu, 01 Nov 07 01:48 PM Hi Angliholic The phrase "at first" is generally used when you talk about two different or opposite things.  The context often refers to an initial impression, belief or fact and then to a subsequent or final one -- one which is opposite or quite different from the first: At first I thought my answer was correct, but now I know it was wrong. He ran well at first, but by the end of the race, he was limping. He ended up in last place. .     Yankee

	Marius Hancu  #437617  Thu, 01 Nov 07 02:02 PM Otherwise: at first: in the beginning BTW, the first version here may  be more correct than the 2nd: To really be happy, you first need to understand what makes you happy. To really be happy, you need first to understand what makes you happy.    Marius Hancu

	Angliholic  #437623  Thu, 01 Nov 07 02:20 PM Thanks, Amy, for the helpful reply. Now I can tell at first and first apart, but I'm still bothered by in the beginning--why doesn't it do the job?    Angliholic