mainly
mainly — adverb
1. used to say that something is true in most cases, or that a particular reason, f
used to say that something is true in most cases, or that a particular reason, fact, or part is the most important one
The delay was mainly caused by the heavy snow on the motorway.
passive: be mainly + caused by [reason factor]
Sade chose that university mainly because of its excellent music programme.
mainly because of [noun phrase] — reason focus
The audience was mainly made up of young families from the local area.
Samir reads mainly fiction, but he sometimes picks up a history book.
Putri's job involves mainly dealing with customer complaints over the phone.
- mostly
Similar in meaning but 'mostly' emphasises the largest part of a group, while 'mainly' often highlights a primary reason or purpose
- primarily
More formal than 'mainly'; common in academic and professional writing
- chiefly
Slightly more formal and less frequent in everyday speech, but interchangeable in most contexts
- largely
Emphasises the extent or scale of something rather than singling out the most important factor
- partially
Suggests only a portion, not the majority
- secondarily
Indicates something of lesser importance, the opposite of what 'mainly' picks out
文法句型
mainly + verb phrase
mainly + noun phrase
mainly because of / due to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Can be placed before the main verb (e.g., 'mainly reads'), after the verb 'be' ('is mainly'), or directly before a noun phrase ('mainly fiction'). Unlike 'mostly', 'mainly' is more often used to point to a reason or purpose rather than a numerical majority.