begun greatly

[David Sarokin]

Hello the list.  I've been lurking for a while, though this is a first post for me.  Hope I'm doing it correctly.

  At a research service, Uclue, that I work for, a client asked a usage question:

  http://uclue.com/?xq=1255
  A friend who has English as a second language has emailed me stating :  "I see 2008 has begun greatly for you". ...Though it appears obvious that the word 'greatly' is incorrect used this way, I can't figure out why...

  My answer, in a nutshell, was that 'great' can mean 'terrific', but 'greatly' does not mean 'terrifically' in modern English so the construction doesn't work.  You can read the full Q&A at the link, along with a comment offering an alternative interpretation.

  Did I get it right?  Are there other factors here?  I'd love to hear your thoughts, either in this Forum, or as a comment on the Uclue site itself (anyone can post, after registering).

  Thanks,

  David

  P.S.  I also do firstmention.com, which some of you have noted, greatly or otherwise.

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