Tuesday, May 8, 2012

second of all/second: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, May 8, 2012.

second of all/second
“First of all” makes sense when you want to emphasize the primacy of the first item in a series, but it should not be followed by “second of all,” where the expression serves no such function. And “secondly” is an adverbial form that makes no sense at all in enumeration (neither does “firstly”). As you go through your list, say simply “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc.

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1 comment:

  1. What a prescriptive load of codswallop. "Firstly" is listed in both Cabridge and Oxford dictionaries as:

    Firstly - used to refer to the first thing in a list

    exmple: There are two very good reasons why we can't do it. Firstly, we don't have enough money, and secondly, we don't have enough time. "

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