In vs. At (In the beginning vs At the beginning)

[Newla]

In the beginning...
At the beginning...

In the end...
At the end...

Iam confused.

[Mister Micawber]

.
Don't be confused. 'At' indicates a point; 'in' indicates a length of time.

At the beginning of the movie, no one on Earth is aware of the invaders.

In the beginning of the movie, Mary and her second husband, Elwood, the famous xenobiologist, find some mysterious eggs under a bush and take them to the laboratories of MegaDrug Inc to analyze them. Suddenly, one of them hatches.
.
_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Ann Nguyen]

Hi Newla,

you can also see the reference:
Difference between in the beginning and at the beginning

[Take_It_Easy]

my question is quite simple now, can someone explain me what's the difference between in the beginning and at the beginning? are both grammatically correct, right? Some people use in but I prefer at. English prepositions drive me crazy :S

cheers

[Haihao]

They are exchangeable but I'd think 'in' indicates a longer period of time than 'at'. Thereby, "in the beginning of the month" may suggest the first 2 or 3 days or more of the month whereas "at the beginning of the month" may suggest the first day of the month.