Search results
As with “thirdly,” “fourthly” is correct but may not be acceptable for pedants. A safer option is the adverb “fourth.” For example: Good: Fourthly, I want to learn about their tangible and intangible culture. Better: Fourth, I want to learn about their tangible and intangible culture. Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly Alternatives
- Author
Jun 11, 2020 · That may be true. However based on what I am seeing nowadays on the news, the websites tend to use the terms like firstly, secondly more often. Maybe it's the other way around.
May 22, 2019 · Native English speakers naturally warm to the word firstly as an ordinal adverb because most adverbs end in -ly. Not all adverbs do; consider fast, well, and often , for example. Johnson and Webster clearly believed that first should be included in this irregular adverb group, and that firstly should never be used at all.
Mar 28, 2024 · While ordinal adverbs like ‘firstly’ and ‘secondly’ are frequently debated in writing circles, another adverb that draws attention is ‘thirdly.’ The question of whether ‘thirdly’ is an acceptable way to enumerate points follows the same line of argumentation as the ‘firstly vs. first’ and ‘secondly vs. second’ discussions.
Sep 4, 2017 · However, I just ran across what the rules about the use of this type of adverb/adjective. Apparently, according to both Oxford and Cambridge, the correct use is "First, secondly, thirdly". However, as that rule is very old, since the seventeenth century (!) it has been quite acceptable to use "Firstly, secondly, thirdly" (Burchfield, 1998).
Sep 19, 2021 · Since first, second, and third operate in a grammatical way, as well as adjectives and adverbs, you may find that including “-ly” is unnecessary. Technically, that means that you will be able to go as many levels down the ladder as you like. In other words, you will be allowed to go down: thirdly, fourthly, fifthly, and so forth.
People also ask
Is thirdly an acceptable adverb?
Should first be a adverb?
Which adverb should a pedant use?
Is 'firstly' an adverb?
Is -Ly a grammatical adverb?
What adverb is first second Thirdly?
Like many things in the english language, use of firstly, secondly, thirdly, or first, second, third are a matter of style. As an English teacher, I teach my students to stick with first, second, and third, as they do not sound so akward. Remember, language is an art, not a science. It's all about style in the end.
