- after one other person or thing in order or importance
- She came second in the marathon.
- One of the smaller parties came a close second (= nearly won).
- The women's team came in fourth and the men finished second.
- I agreed to speak second.
- He is a writer first and a scientist second.
- I came second (to) last (= the one before the last one) in the race.
- We're not here to run second. We want to win races.
- The club lies second in the Premiership.
- used to introduce the second of a list of points you want to make in a speech or piece of writing synonym secondly
- She did it first because she wanted to, and second because I asked her to.
Language Bank firstfirstOrdering your points- This essay has the following aims: first, to investigate how international students in the UK use humour; second, to examine how jokes can help to establish social relationships; and third, to explore the role that humour plays in helping overseas students adjust to life in the UK.
- I will begin by identifying some of the popular joke genres in the UK.
- Next, I will consider the question of gender differences in the use of humour.
- Finally/Lastly, I want to examine the role of humour in defining a nation’s culture.
Language Bank processprocessDescribing a process- This diagram illustrates the process of paper-making.
- This diagram shows how paper is made.
- First/First of all, logs are delivered to a paper mill, where the bark is removed and the wood is cut into small chips.
- Next/Second, the wood chips are pulped, either using chemicals or in a pulping machine.
- Pulping breaks down the internal structure of the wood and enables/allows the natural oils to be removed.
- Once/After the wood has been pulped, the pulp is bleached in order to remove impurities. /…is bleached so that impurities can be removed.
- The next stage is to feed the pulp into the paper machine, where it is mixed with water and then poured onto a wire conveyor belt.
- As the pulp travels along the conveyor belt, the water drains away. This causes the solid material to sink to the bottom, forming a layer of paper.
- At this point the new paper is still wet, so it is passed between large heated rollers, which press out the remaining water and simultaneously dry the paper/…dry the paper at the same time.
- The final stage is to wind the paper onto large rolls.
- Finally, the paper is wound onto large rolls.
Word Originadverb Middle English: via Old French from Latin secundus ‘following, second’, from the base of sequi ‘follow’. The verb dates from the late 16th cent.
Check pronunciation:
second1