linking adverb · neutral

firstly

UK/ˈfɜːstli/US/ˈfɝstli/FIRST·ly

speakingtask2

used to introduce the first point in a list or argument

Examples

“Firstly, we should improve public transport to reduce traffic.”

“Firstly, I want to thank my classmates for their help.”

“Firstly, the survey shows people prefer cycling in cities.”

Band 8 sentence

“Firstly, strengthening public transport networks would lower commuting times, and secondly, it would reduce environmental damage caused by private cars.”

Collocations

  • Firstly, + clause
  • Firstly and most importantly

Word family

first adj/advfirstness nounfirstly adv

Common mistakes

then→firstly

and first→firstly

first of all,→firstly

Say it for a higher band

5first→6to start with→7+firstly

Synonyms

to start with

first

Easily confused

first

“First, check the spelling before you submit your essay.”

to start with

“To start with, I would like to outline the main problems.”

Related words

ultimatelyprior toafter thattheninitiallyeventuallyfrom then onimmediately

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In Sequence

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