Further Versus Farther Which Should You Use

Further Versus Farther Which Should You Use As one of the most commonly confused combinations of words in the English language, farther and further create a lot of confusion for both native and ESL learners alike. And for good reason!The reason these words are often confused is that for the most part, they have been used interchangeably until only recently to denote spatial, temporal, or metaphorical distance. In fact, if you look at the definition of further in Websters Dictionary, farther is one of its definitions, making the distinction between the two even more confusing.FartherFirst, lets look at the definition of farther:At or to a greater distance or more advanced pointTo a greater degree or extentThe easiest way to look at this is to see farther as most often referring to a literal distance. Here is an example of farther used in literature:Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried.Dubliners by James JoyceFurtherFurther, on the other hand, is most often used in relation to a metaphorical distance rather than a literal one. However, youll notice that the dictionary definition of further is in fact farther. This shows why and how the two words are often confused and have been used interchangeably in literature:FartherTo a greater degree or extent.In addition; moreoverAn example of further in literature is this quote:To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life.Les Misérables by Victor HugoIts also important to note that Further is the older word of the two but it wasnt until 1906, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage, that writers were encouraged to distinguish further from farther.S o, which should I use?Most present-day editors and writers will use farther when denoting a physical or literal distance, and further when denoting a metaphorical distance. The point at which this becomes a problem is a situation like this: Im further/farther along in the book than you are.Why is this a problem? Well, for starters, you could gauge the pages of a book as literal distance. Page 116 is literally farther along in the book and plot than page 111. In situations like this where the distance is ambiguous, many English language resources (the Oxford English Dictionary, Fowlers Modern English Usage to name a few) suggest that farther or further can be used.Beyond this, if you are using British English, Garners Modern English Usage notes that the British use both further and farther for physical distance. Use further if youre not sure.Therefore, the simplest answer to the farther vs. further debate is to use further if you arent sure if the distance is metaphorical or physical , since further, according to its dictionary definition, covers both. However, if you are sure that the distance is literal rather than metaphorical, use farther.