firmly
part of speech
adverb (firmly, more firmly)
meaning for a pupil
1) Firmly means strongly and steadily, so that something does not move or come loose. tree →
2) Firmly means in a clear, serious way that shows you mean it and will not change your mind. tree →
sense in the lessons
In safety and everyday life: hold the handrail firmly, grip the ladder firmly, press a plaster firmly, fasten your helmet firmly, say «No» firmly to things that are not okay. In first aid, press firmly on a bleeding cut with a clean cloth. In stories, a character who speaks firmly is calm and serious. Phrases: «hold firmly», «firmly believe», «said firmly», «firmly closed».
examples
- Hold the rope firmly with both hands. tree →
- Press firmly on the cut to stop the bleeding. tree →
- Mum said «No» firmly, and that was that. tree →
- Make sure the lid is firmly closed. tree →
- The tent pegs were pushed firmly into the ground. tree →
- I firmly believe that honesty is best. tree →
- Plant the seeds and press the soil down firmly. tree →
- She shook my hand firmly. tree →
- He turned round anew, firmly convinced that he was seriously ill. tree →
note
Adjective: «firm» (a firm handshake). «Firmly» says how you do something. Saying no firmly is not rude; it is a clear and safe way to stand up for yourself.
In the corpora
- After that the Rat walks at the back holding Toad firmly by the shoulder.
- The Rat says it kindly but firmly: there will be no speeches and no songs.
- «No, not one little song,» replied the Rat firmly, though his heart bled.
- Most bleeding stops if you press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth and keep pressing.
- For a cut that bleeds, press a clean cloth firmly on it to stop the bleeding.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «firmly» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.