Farther or Further?

 

This week we answer a question from Sophia. She writes:

Question:

Ask a Teacher

Ask a Teacher

What is the difference between "farther¹" and "further?" - Sophia

Answer:

Dear Sophia,

This is a good question. It is easy to get the two terms mixed up. They both deal with distance.

The word "farther" has to do with an actual, physical distance -- one that can be measured. "Further" can have several meanings, but they are likely to deal with ideas, not a physical distance.

We will look at "farther" first. It can be used as an adjective².

For example, make believe you and a friend are walking to a restaurant.

"Sophia," she says, "Are we anywhere near that eatery you always talk about? I am just so hungry!"

"Don't worry," you say. "We are almost there! My favorite place is a little farther down the road, past all the fast food restaurants. Only five more minutes!"

"Farther" can also be used as an adverb, like in the following example, well known⁴ to parents taking a trip with young children.

Mommy! Are we there yet? How much farther do we have to go until we get there?!

In both examples, the word "farther" relates to an actual physical distance. In the first case, it is a five-minute walk. In the second example, there may be many more hours in the car. Good luck, parents!

Now, "further" can be used as an adverb, adjective or a verb³. None of these have a measurable distance.

Let's take each one.

As an adverb, "further" means⁵ "to a greater extent," such as in this sentence:

The scientists are looking further into the research.

When used as an adjective, "further" means "more or additional⁶."

Further research is needed before we have the answer.

"Further" can also be used as a verb. It means "to help the progress of something."

An example is the following sentence:

Learning⁷ English may further your career.

How can you remember the difference between "further" and "farther?" Some grammar experts say it helps to think of the word far in "farther", showing you are talking about distance.

We hope our Ask a Teacher program helps you further your understanding of American English!

Words in This Story

adjective - a part of speech that describes or changes the meaning of a person, place or thing

adverb – a word or term that helps to describe a verb, an adjective or another adverb

grammar – n. the whole system and structure of a language

1 farther   

adj.更远的，进一步的；adv.更远的，此外；far的比较级

参考例句：

• I can throw the ball farther than you can.这个球我能比你扔得远。
• The farther hill is five kilometres away.那座更远的小山在五公里以外。

2 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

3 verb   

n.[语]动词

参考例句：

• The sentence is formed from a verb and two nouns.这句子由一个动词和两个名词构成。
• These are the finite forms of a verb.这些是一个动词的限定形式。

4 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

5 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

6 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

7 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。