Rex  +  335363 Sat, 03 Mar 07 07:18 PM Many years ago people used computers which have DOS. I mean the name of the operating system was DOS. You would say I had DOS or I ran DOS. So in this context, would you say, in the beginning people used DOS computers or at the beginning people used DOS computers? So my question is whether to use 'in the beginning' or 'at the beginning' in this context. Rex Joined on Wed, Jul 28 2004 Full Member 358

	Marius Hancu  +  335384 Sat, 03 Mar 07 08:39 PM IMO: in the beginning: during the beginning stages - the appropriate here (and 10  times more popular for this context) at the beginning: situated/located at the beginning point in a process Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673

	Rex  +  335387 Sat, 03 Mar 07 08:57 PM I thank both of you for the replies. Let us take another example. I am training at a gym 3 times a week. I am training on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. I always train at least for 90 minutes. Sometimes I exceed the 90 minutes limits and train 100 or 120 minutes. The first thing I do is to train using a bicycle or a treadmill. This is to warm up the body; it is good for the cardiovascular system of the body, as well. Afterwards I train different muscles using machines. The gym is flooded with all sorts of machines. 1. At the beginning, I train bicycle/treadmill. 2. In the beginning, I train bicycle/treadmill. Which is the corret one in this context? Rex

	Cool Breeze  +  335401 Sat, 03 Mar 07 11:03 PM  Rex wrote: 1. At the beginning, I train bicycle/treadmill. 2. In the beginning, I train bicycle/treadmill. Which is the corret one in this context? Hi Rex Correctness is often a matter of opinion in English. A good rule of thumb is to say at the beginning of: I felt sleepy at the beginning of the lecture. Of your sentences, No. 2 is definitely correct, but that doesn't mean No. 1 is wrong. Cheers CB Cool Breeze Joined on Fri, Apr 7 2006 Senior Member 3,970 "I hope you'll all live to be 150 years old - and the last voice you hear is mine!" Frank Sinatra on stage in Oslo, Norway, 28 September 1991

	Rex  +  335508 Sun, 04 Mar 07 11:01 AM Let us take another example. You worked as a taxi driver. However, you work as a network administrators nowadays. You have studied networking whilst working as a taxi driver. 1. At the beginning, I was a taxi driver. 2. In the beginning, I was a taxi driver. Which is the correct one in this context? Rex

	Grammar Geek  +  335697 Sun, 04 Mar 07 10:17 PM Neither sounds very natural. At the beginning of what? "In the beginning" (without other context) sounds like the book of Genesis. At the beginning of my career, I was a taxi driver. But more natural would be "I started out as a taxi driver." Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,652 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!

	Rex  +  335711 Sun, 04 Mar 07 11:03 PM Grammar Geek To say I started out as a taxi driver is perfect. I just want to use the words 'at the beginning' or 'in the beginning'. I saw it in one of my grammars. I will look for that grammar. I just came home from the gym. I must eat something and sleep now. I must look this up. There is a distinction between 'at the beginning' and 'in the beginning'. Unfortunately, I can't remember all the details. I may be wrong here too. Have you got Murphy's grammars?  I think it is in one of Murphy's grammars.  I bought a couple of them in the past. I will come back. Rex Grammar