first - firstly

first - firstly: The first thing, event, or person of a particular kind is the one that comes before all the others.

The President went on the air to make his first public statement about Watergate.

...the first man in space.
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If you want to emphasize that a thing, event, or person is the first one of their kind, you can put `very' in front of first.

The very first thing that happened was that I got ravenously hungry.
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◊ 'first' used as an adverb

If an event happens before other events, you say that it happens first.

Ralph spoke first.

When people get their newspaper, which page do they read first?
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You do not say that something happens `firstly'.
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◊ used as sentence adverbs

You can use first or firstly to introduce the first point in a discussion, the first of a series of questions or instructions, or the first item in a list.

Four tendencies began to converge. First, there was a growing awareness of the true dimensions of the threat.

There are two reasons. Firstly I have no evidence that the original document has been destroyed.
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If you want to emphasize that an item is the first one you are going to mention, you can say first of all.

There are, first of all, those who have been brought up with little confidence in their own judgement.

First of all dig a little hole.
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Note that you do not say `firstly of all'.
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◊ 'at first'

When you are contrasting feelings or actions at the beginning of an event with ones that came later, you say at first.

At first I was reluctant.

At first I thought that the shop was empty, then from behind one of the counters a man appeared.
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Note that you do not use `firstly' in sentences like these.
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Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

first, firstly — The question of whether one may write firstly or not when beginning a list of points constitutes one of the more inane but most hotly disputed issues in the history of English usage. De Quincey called firstly a ridiculous and most pedantic… … Dictionary of troublesome word
first, firstly — The question of whether one may write firstly or not when beginning a list of points constitutes one of the more inane but most hotly disputed issues in the history of English usage. De Quincey called firstly a ridiculous and most pedantic… … Dictionary of troublesome word
first, firstly, secondly — All three of these terms are in acceptable use, but first is more common than firstly. A speaker or writer will often start with first and then move on to secondly and thirdly. Although these ly words are in respectable use, it is simpler and… … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
firstly — adverb /ˈfɜrstli/ In the first place; before anything else; first. Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants. Secondly, I continue to base my concepts on intensive study… … Wiktionary
first of all — adverb firstly; before anything else. Syn: first, firstly, first up … Wiktionary
first off — adverb before anything else (Freq. 1) first we must consider the garter snake • Syn: ↑first, ↑firstly, ↑foremost, ↑first of all * * * adverb Etymology: first … Useful english dictionary
first of all — adverb before anything else (Freq. 5) first we must consider the garter snake • Syn: ↑first, ↑firstly, ↑foremost, ↑first off * * * before doing anything else; at the beginning first of all, let me ask you something … Useful english dictionary
firstly — See first, firstly, secondly … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
first — See first, firstly, secondly … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
first of all — to begin with, first, firstly … English contemporary dictionary

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first - firstly

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Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Useful english dictionary

first - firstly

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