When used to start a list of two or more things, it is common to give preference to Firstly via Firstly today, but this preference is one of customs and usage, not grammar. Both Firstly And Firstly can function as adverbs, but they are not completely interchangeable; for example, we never say “firstly of all.”
When making a list of two or more things, should you start with Firstly or Firstly? Have a strong preference for Firstly in written English today, but adverbs are supposed to end in -glass, right? Like so many “rules” of English, this one is not a rule at all, but rather a shortcut for broad generalization.
Although both are adverbs, ‘first’ and ‘firstly’ are hardly interchangeable in all situations: we never say “I just noticed it yesterday.” One might say “firstly, what are you doing in my home?” or “firstly , I hope you have coverage”—but if you want to avoid criticism, ‘first’ is the best choice for most situations.
flat adverb
An adverb that has the same form as its related adjective is called . flat adverb (think about fast in “go fast” or slow in “go slow”). There are relatively few of these in English, as many adverbs have a -glass ending, make adjective/adverb pairs like quickly / quickly, elegant/elegant, close / tightetc.. Some flat adverbs mean the same in both forms: “The sun shines” bright/brilliant.” Some have different meanings, which have separated over time, such as “sleep well” and “closed”. And some, like Firstly And Firstlyhave an uncomfortable coexistence.
History of the first
Turns out there’s a conspiracy against Firstly for centuries. The great English dictionaries of the 1700s and early 1800s by Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster don’t even have an entry for Firstly, although the word has been in use since the 1300s (Webster has no entry between FIRSTLING and FIRST-RATE). When Firstly was finally added in the first posthumous edition of Webster Dictionary in 1847 it wasn’t even allowed to be defined; instead, the entry is simply “Incorrectly used instead of the first.”
Some writers object to the use of Firstly instead of Firstly for the oldest reason in the book: they thought it was the new language (the 19th century equivalent of saying: “That’s not a word!”). Today we know they were wrong, but since Firstly had not been included in the dictionary until then, they could be forgiven for thinking it was a neologism.
Others objected with a double correction: they said that those who used Firstly make an adverb from Firstly because Firstly-users believe Firstly not an adverb – it’s all a waste of time, because Firstly was and is used as an adverb (as well as fast, slow, tight, et cetera.). The new objection is Firstly leads to an excessive pedagogical modification of a word that is already good, and therefore unnecessary. This is clearly the reason behind the stigma found in the entry in 1847 Webster Dictionary.
Recent objections are more about style than content: these commentators don’t like Firstly because it’s longer Firstly. Although both are adverbs, Firstly And Firstly are almost interchangeable in all situations: we never say “firstly of all” or “I am first to get it today,” but these differences lead to idiomatic usage—habit of centuries—not grammar. Written, Firstly much more popular than Firstly and is probably the best bet for most situations, even if the only reason is that the reader may wonder if Firstly is appropriate and distracted by this word choice. You could say the conspiracy succeeded by maintaining the word’s somewhat disrespectful reputation.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
