adverb · neutral
firstly
UK/ˈfɜːstli/US/ˈfɜrstli/FIRST·ly
speakingtask2
used to introduce the first point in a sequence
Examples
“Firstly, the survey shows young people are more likely to migrate.”
“Firstly, we should define the problem clearly.”
“Firstly, she explained the background before offering a solution.”
Band 8 sentence
“Firstly, policy-makers must address funding inequalities that hinder rural schools' performance.”
Collocations
- Firstly, + clause
- Firstly and most importantly,
Word family
first adverb/ordinalfirstly adverb
Common mistakes
Firstly of all, the town needs better roads.→First of all, the town needs better roads.
First of all all, we must act.→First of all, we must act.
Say it for a higher band
5first→6first of all→7+firstly
Synonyms
first
Easily confused
to begin with
“To begin with, we should review the literature.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Adding ideas
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