first thing
- Thread starter Will17
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:up: 'The first thing' means what it says. Without the article, 'first thing' means 'the first thing in the day' [=very early]. So 'Our flight is at 7.00, so we'll have to get up first thing'. And it doesn't have to be early in absolute terms (about dawn); it can also refer to the beginning of, say, a working day: 'All right, you don't have to do it now, but you must do it first thing tomorrow'.
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Will17
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Thank you. And is the use of the infinitive form correct in this case? "The first thing they did was to introduce themselves. (Would it be better to use "introducing"? )
Thanks a lot.
W
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The to-infinitive sounds better to me, but if the focus is on the process the gerund is possible.
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