Phrase: To begin with / In the first place

 


1. "To begin with"

    Meaning

    • You use to begin with when you are talking about the first stage of a situation, event, or process.

    • Used to give the first important reason for something
    • Used to say that something was already in a particular condition before something else happened

    Synonyms: at first, to start with, in the first place, first of all

    More Example Sentences

    • It was great to begin with but now it's difficult.
    • The hotel was awful! To begin with, our room was far too small. Then we found that the shower didn't work.
    • I never would have bought this car to begin with if I'd known there weren't airbags.
    • You should have said you were feeling ill to begin with! I wouldn't have given you such a hard time if I'd known.
    • Why am I quitting? Well, to begin with, I haven't been paid for overtime in nearly a year, and I just don't feel valued as an employee in general.
    • There are a lot of problems with your paper. To begin with, you just seem to move from point to point at random.
    • To begin with, she is too young for that kind of job.
    • We can't give Smith the position. To begin with, he's too young; secondly, I want my son to have the job.


    2. "In the first place"

    Meaning

    • You say in the first place when you are talking about the beginning of a situation or about the situation as it was before a series of events.
    • Used at the end of a sentence to indicate what was true or what should have been done at the beginning of a situation
    • Used when listing the most important parts of something or the most important reasons for something
    Synonyms: before anything else, to start with, to begin with

    Example Sentences

    • We should never have gone there in the first place.
    • I didn't care much for the job in the first place.
    • What brought you to Washington in the first place?
    • I'm not going to tell you because, in the first place, it's none of your business, and in the second place, you would tell everyone else.
    • Why did you agree to meet her in the first place?
    • He wouldn't have given you the job in the first place if he didn't think you could do it.
    • It was your own idea in the first place, so you can hardly object now.
    • When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on so long in the first place.

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