1. I was poor in the past.
2. I am not so rich in the present/at present.
3. I will be rich in the future.
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Are they all grammatical? Can we use both 'in the present' and 'at present'? How about 'at the present'? Which one is commonly used?
All are fine, yes.
And, yes, you can use any of those three phrases in #2. They're all fairly commonly used, although "at present" is probably most common.
Thank you for your help.
What about 'at the present'?
"at the present" or "at present" -- both mean the same thing. But "at present" is the more commonly used between these two.
All three sentences are grammatical and convey slightly different meanings.
1. "I was poor in the past." - This sentence describes a previous period of time when you were poor. "In the past" indicates that it is referring to a time that is no longer the present.
2. "I am not so rich in the present/at present." - Both "in the present" and "at present" are grammatically correct in this context. Both phrases refer to the current time. However, "at present" is slightly more formal and less commonly used than "in the present."
3. "I will be rich in the future." - This sentence describes a future period of time when you will be rich. It indicates that the state of being rich will occur at some point after the present.
In summary, all three sentences are grammatical, and both "in the present" and "at present" can be used interchangeably with a slight difference in formality. "At the present" is less commonly used in everyday conversation compared to "in the present."