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I just realized that I don't really understand such a basic thing as whether to use "in" or "at" in contexts like:

  • Don't forget to put a period in/at the end of a sentence.
  • Don't forget to put an empty line in/at the end of a file.

"In" or "at"? And why?

DialFrost
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user90726
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    Does this answer your question? [Should I say she **in** the park or she is **at** the park](https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/40439/should-i-say-she-is-in-the-park-or-she-is-at-the-park) – DialFrost Jul 21 '22 at 00:22
  • That proposed duplicate question is about the differences between "at" and "in" when referring to arbitrary *physical locations*. This question is about the correct choice of preposition before the expression "*the end of*". I didn't find anything in the answers to the other question that would help with this one. – gotube Jul 21 '22 at 15:26

1 Answers1

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"...at the end of..." is always correct. The expression "in the end" is valid, but it never has "of" after it.

The preposition "at" has the meaning of the location of a specific point, where "in" is less specific. The end of something is a specific place, so it only makes sense to use "at". The expression "in the end" doesn't refer to a specific place, but to the outcome, or end result, generally.

This Google Ngram shows there's a few "in the end of", but they're either non-idiomatic writing styles (like the Bible) or they're about media with titles that start, "The End of...", such as:

In "The End of Policing",..."

Where "The End of Policing" is a book title.

gotube
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