2020-09-25
คำชวนสับสน ชุด F – First & firstly & secondly
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้อง ในที่นี้ เป็นไป ตามมาตรฐาน ของภาษา
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง “First” = ‘FURST’
ออกเสียง “Firstly” = ‘FURST-lee’
ออกเสียง “Secondly” = ‘SEK-uhnd-lee’
Common Errors in English Usage Dictionary
First Annual
simply means“the first of what is planned to be an annual series of events”
—it’s a fine expression. Some people get upset when the “first annual” occurrence of some event is announced, arguing that it doesn’t become annual until it’s been repeated. But “first annual”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
'First' or 'Firstly'?
What to Know
Regarding first vs firstly, most situations call for "first" as it itself is an adverb.
"First" is a flat adverb meaning it takes the same form as its adjective pair, but while some flat adverbs mean the same as their "-ly" versions (the sun shone bright/brightly), "first" and "firstly" have diverged slightly and are not always interchangeable.
When enumerating a list of two or more things, should you begin with first or firstly?
There’s a strong preference for first in written English today, but adverbs are supposed to end in -ly, aren’t they?
Like so many “rules” of English, this one isn’t a rule at all, but a shortcut that helps with broad generalizations.
Even though they are both adverbs, 'first' and 'firstly' are hardly interchangeable in all situations:
we never say “I firstly noticed it yesterday."
One might say "firstly, what are you doing in my home?" or "firstly,
I hope you have insurance"—but if you want to avoid criticism, 'first' is the best bet for most situations.
Flat Adverbs
An adverb that has the same form as its related adjective is called a flat adverb (think of fast in “go fast” or slow in “go slow”).
There are relatively few of these in English, since many adverbs do have an -ly ending, which creates adjective/adverb pairs like speedy/speedily, elegant/elegantly, close/closely, etc.
Some flat adverbs have the same meaning with both forms: “The sun shines bright/brightly.”
Some have different meanings, having separated over time, like “sleep tight” and “close tightly.” And some, like first and firstly, have an uneasy coexistence.
History of Firstly
It turns out that there’s been a conspiracy against firstly for centuries.
The great English dictionaries of the 1700s and early 1800s by Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster didn’t even have entries for firstly, though the word had been used since the 1300s (Webster had no entry between FIRSTLING and FIRST-RATE). When firstly was finally added in the first posthumous edition of Webster’s Dictionary in 1847, it wasn’t even accorded the courtesy of a definition; instead, the entry simply reads “Improperly used instead of first.”
Some writers objected to the use of firstly instead of first for the oldest reason in the book: they thought it was new to the language (the 19th-century equivalent of saying: “That’s not a word!”). We know today that they were incorrect, but since firstly hadn’t been entered in dictionaries 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 created an adverb from first because the firstly-users believed that first wasn’t an adverb—all a waste of time, since first was and is used as an adverb (as are fast, slow, tight, etc.). The new objection was that firstly amounted to a pedantic hypercorrection of a word that was just fine in the first place, and therefore unnecessary. This is clearly the rationale behind the stigmatization found in the entry in the 1847 Webster’s Dictionary.
More recent objections have been more about style than substance: these commentators don’t like firstly because it’s longer than first. Even though they are both adverbs, first and firstly are hardlyinterchangeable in all situations: we never say “firstly of all” or “I firstly noticed it yesterday,” but these differences amount to idiomatic usage—the habits of centuries—and not grammar. In writing, first is much more common than firstly and is probably the best bet for most situations, even if the only reason is that a reader may wonder if firstly is proper and be distracted by this word choice. You might say that the conspiracy has succeeded by maintaining this word's slightly disrespectable reputation.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
First – firstly
1. 'first' used as an adjective
The first thing, event, or person of a particular kind is the one that comes before all the others.
She lost 16 pounds in the first month of her diet.
Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space.
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 I do when I get home is have a cup of tea.
2. 'first' used as an adverb
If an event happens before other events, you say that it happens first.
Rani spoke first.
When people get their newspaper, which page do they read first?
Be Careful!
Don't use 'firstly' with this meaning. Don't say, for example, 'Rani spoke firstly'.
3. 'first' and 'firstly' used as sentence adverbials
You can use first or firstly to introduce the first pointin a discussion, the first of a series of questions or instructions, or the first item in a list.
First, mix the eggs and flour.
There are two reasons why I'm angry. Firstly you're late, and secondly, you've forgotten your homework.
If you want to emphasize that an item is the first one you are going to mention, you can say first of all.
I have made a commitment, first of all to myself, and secondly to my family.
First of all, I'd like to thank you all for coming.
Be Careful!
Don't say 'firstly of all'.
4. '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.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'firstly' in sentences like these.
