farther, further

farther, further
   Insofar as the two are distinguished, farther usually appears in contexts involving literal distance ("New York is farther from Sydney than from London") and further in contexts involving figurative distance ("I can take this plan no further"). But there is, as the OED notes, "a large intermediate class of instances in which the choice between the two forms is arbitrary."

Dictionary of troublesome word. . 2013.

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  • farther, further — Distinction between these words has been breaking down for many years, but careful speakers use farther and farthest to refer to a measurable distance or space: The ball traveled 10 yards farther. Further indicates greater in quantity, time, and… …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • farther - further — Farther and further are both comparative forms of far . Farthest and furthest are the superlative forms. When you are talking about distance, you can use any of these forms. Birds were able to find food by flying farther and farther …   Useful english dictionary

  • farther / further —    Farther has to do with distance: How much farther is it to Poughkeepsie?    Further means additional or more : Please give me further information about the best route to Poughkeepsie …   Confused words

  • farther / further —    Farther has to do with distance: How much farther is it to Poughkeepsie?    Further means additional or more : Please give me further information about the best route to Poughkeepsie …   Confused words

  • farther, further —    Insofar as the two are distinguished, farther usually appears in contexts involving literal distance ( New York is farther from Sydney than from London ) and further in contexts involving figurative distance ( I can take this plan no further ) …   Dictionary of troublesome word

  • farther — farther, further 1. general. Further is the older form, being recorded in Old English and probably related to our word forth, while farther is a Middle English variant of further; from this stage the two words came to be used as the comparative… …   Modern English usage

  • further — farther, further 1. general. Further is the older form, being recorded in Old English and probably related to our word forth, while farther is a Middle English variant of further; from this stage the two words came to be used as the comparative… …   Modern English usage

  • farther — farther, further are often used without distinction though originally different words, farther being the comparative of far and further, in its adverbial form (as an adjective, it is without a positive), being the comparative of fore or forth. At …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • further — adv & adj *farther further vb forward, *advance, promote Analogous words: *help, aid, assist: back, champion, *support, uphold: propagate, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • farther — 1 adverb 1 a greater distance than before or than something else; further: We d better not go any farther today. | farther away/apart etc: The boats were drifting farther and farther apart. | He heard a voice farther down the track. | farther… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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