For the first time

[KYTTIE]

Test No. incompl/elem-18 "Making an Appointment", question 10

Possibly you also know the expression 'blind date', which is a rendezvous with a person you have never seen before and you are meeting them ......... the first time.

(a) at
(b) in
(c) for
(d) from

Test No. incompl/elem-18 "Making an Appointment", answer 10

Possibly you also know the expression 'blind date', which is a rendezvous with a person you have never seen before and you are meeting them for the first time.

Correct answer: (c) for

Your answer was: incorrect
Possibly you also know the expression 'blind date', which is a rendezvous with a person you have never seen before and you are meeting them at the first time.
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Dear Alan,
I don't understand why we use "meet for the first time" instead of "at the first time" in this sentence?
Is there anything wrong with my memory since I remember that there's 1 movie named "At the first time" casting by Val Kilmer?
Thank you very much

[Alan]

There may well be a film called that but here you must use FOR to make sense to me. There is an expression at first which means in the beginning.
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[Hoa]

Dear Mr Alan
I don't understand your explaination yet. woud you explain for me diffirence between at and for?
Thank you very much.

[Alan]

Hi Hoa,

This is a huge question to explain the difference between at and for since there are hundreds of uses of these two prepositions with hundreds of different expressions. You could have a look a piece I've written for the site under the heading esl lessons and it's called Prepositions and you can see the uses of some of the prepositions. The only way I could start to explain is to use at and for with particular words.

We say for example: for the first time (something has never been done before)

We can also say: at the first sign of a cold, take a hot drink. (As soon as you feel you have a cold, take a hot drink)

Alan
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