Job Discussion Forums

[yamahuh]

'At first.....'

I am trying to describe the use of this phrase.
Is it a prepositional phrase?
Is it correct to say that it is generally followed by ......but then........?
i.e
At first he wanted to go to the restaurant, but then he decided to stay home.

How would you describe the use of this phrase and are there any rules for it's useage? Is it safe to say that the use of the phrase 'At first' is to describe an action or opinion that was changed or amended at a later time?

Help a poor confused teacher out,

[yamahuh]

WTF?
Nobody knows?
All these teachers and nobody can shed any light on this?
I figured with the wealth of talented people perusing this site somebody would be unable to resist the urge to flaunt their grasp of grammar or knowledge of the language...

[Spiderman Too]

I agree that;

it is a prepositional phrase

it is generally, but not necessarily, followed by 'but then'
At first, John thought Sam stole his book; Sam had overtly coveted the novel for some time. However, after Susan told him that Sam bought his own copy last week, John turned his attention towards Peter.

the phrase 'At first' is used to describe an action or opinion or desire or need or requirement or intention that was changed or amended at a later time

[yamahuh]

Excellent!
Thanks for the response Spidey, turns out I wasn't too far off the mark after all.
At first I thought I might have been...