main ‧ ly S2 W2 /ˈmeɪnli/ BrE AmE adverb
used to mention the main part or cause of something, the main reason for something etc SYN primarily :
Her illness was caused mainly by stress.
The workforce is mainly made up of women.
I don’t go out much, mainly because I have to look after the kids.
Increased sales during the summer were mainly due to tourism.
We talked about various things – work, mainly.
GRAMMAR
Mainly is not used at the beginning of a sentence:
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They play mainly on Wednesday evenings (NOT Mainly they play...).
REGISTER
In written English, people often prefer to use chiefly or primarily , which sound more formal than mainly :
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The disease is caused chiefly by poor sanitation.
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THESAURUS
▪ in general used when saying that something is usually true in most situations, or about most people or things:
In general, temporary jobs are less well-paid.
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In general, the bigger a company becomes, the harder it is to maintain customer satisfaction.
▪ generally another way of saying ‘in general’, which is often used before a verb. Generally can also be used to say that most people have a particular opinion:
Women generally live longer than men.
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Newton is generally regarded as the father of modern science.
▪ generally speaking/as a rule other ways of saying ‘in general’:
Generally speaking, large breeds of dog are becoming less popular.
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He’s a singer who doesn’t do interviews, as a rule.
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The graduates are, generally speaking, a confident and articulate group of young people.
▪ mostly/mainly/largely used when saying that something is true about most people or things, or about most of something. Largely is slightly more formal than mostly or mainly :
The disease mainly affects women.
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Their attempts were largely unsuccessful.
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The students were mostly French and German, but there were a few Japanese students too.
▪ for the most part used when saying that something is true in most cases, but not in every case:
These problems have for the most part been resolved.
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For the most part, the gangs were made up of boys aged between 11 and 16.
▪ by and large/on the whole used for saying that something is true in most ways or in most cases:
The project was, by and large, a success.
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On the whole, people were very friendly.