first off

Hello,

I'd usually start my writings with 'first of all', 'firstly' etc. but is it ok to write...

'First off, I believe that it is important for teenagers..........etc. etc.'

Thanks
forsin

I might use that phrase in informal speech, but not in writing anything more formal than an e-mail to a friend.

You might be interested in the discussion of firstly in this WRF thread. There are many others. You can find a list by searching for "firstly" in the dictionary box at the top of this page.

What's wrong with "first?"

I agree with Edmont: use it in informal speech or writing only.

Note I'd say that "First off" as an expression is not intrinsically rude, but -- to my ears -- it is perhaps used more often when the speaker is being a bit curt. It connotes to me the speaker is mentioning reasons of why he or she is a bit ticked off: "Listen: you haven't been completing your work on time. First off, you forget to file that paperwork...."

Question to the forum: in that sentence, what part of speech (grammatically) would the phrase "first off" be considered? Is it considered an adverbial phrase?