[Grammar] What is the difference between "last" and "at las

Status
Not open for further replies.

Dongxiaoyu

Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2013
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
Last time , I get the help from an English teacher , his answer is very professional , but now I meet another question What is the difference between "last" and "at last"?
 

Rick S.

New member
Joined
Jun 8, 2013
Member Type
Other
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
Last time , I get the help from an English teacher , his answer is very professional , but now I meet another question What is the difference between "last" and "at last"?

Hello again, Dongxiaoyu. Thank you for your comment. I am still online, so I'm happy to help with your second question, too. This 'last'/'at last' pair is another troublesome one for learners of English! As with the word 'first', the word 'last' indicates a position in a series -- in this case, of course, the final position: 'We need three types of fruit: First, we need apples; we also need some oranges; last, we must have some bananas.' You can see that 'last' just means the item at the end of a list.
On the other hand, 'at last' is used to indicate that you have been waiting a long time for something to happen, as in 'At last -- here's the bus! It's really late!' (This suggests that the speaker has been waiting a long time for the bus to come.) Similarly: 'I tried again and again to pass the exam and at last I succeeded.' (Again, the speaker had to wait before a desired target or outcome was achieved.)
Actually, there are quite a few confusing pairs in English like 'first'/'at first' and 'last'/'at last'. I have a handout about them that I prepared for students in my classes. If you would like a copy of the handout, I would be happy to send it to you as an email attachment. You can reach me at my yahoo dot com address, Rick_Spindel (on this site, I just abbreviate my surname).
Rick S.
 

Dongxiaoyu

Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2013
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
Hello again, Dongxiaoyu. Thank you for your comment. I am still online, so I'm happy to help with your second question, too. This 'last'/'at last' pair is another troublesome one for learners of English! As with the word 'first', the word 'last' indicates a position in a series -- in this case, of course, the final position: 'We need three types of fruit: First, we need apples; we also need some oranges; last, we must have some bananas.' You can see that 'last' just means the item at the end of a list.
On the other hand, 'at last' is used to indicate that you have been waiting a long time for something to happen, as in 'At last -- here's the bus! It's really late!' (This suggests that the speaker has been waiting a long time for the bus to come.) Similarly: 'I tried again and again to pass the exam and at last I succeeded.' (Again, the speaker had to wait before a desired target or outcome was achieved.)
Actually, there are quite a few confusing pairs in English like 'first'/'at first' and 'last'/'at last'. I have a handout about them that I prepared for students in my classes. If you would like a copy of the handout, I would be happy to send it to you as an email attachment. You can reach me at my yahoo dot com address, Rick_Spindel (on this site, I just abbreviate my surname).
Rick S.


I am so happy get your answer, Mr. Rick. Your answers are so professional. And it is good for my English. During my English learning, I always meet this kind of question. Thanks to your help, I can now know the difference. With your permission, I will write to you and ask for handout. Thank you! From you , I know, English and English teacher is very kind to help student. With your help , I think I can do better in English study. Thanks again.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top