8. Further and Farther
These two are very confusing. Further and farther both have the same meaning but are used in different situations. They’re pronounced in a similar way too, but with a difference – fur and far.
Farther — with far — is used when we’re talking about physical distance.
- As a passenger in a car, you can ask the driver “How much fartheruntil we reach our destination?”
- In a race, you can say “She ran farther and faster than him.”
Further — with fur — is used for more abstract situations.
- The human resources representative told me: “If you have any furthercomplaints, please tell me.”
- The professor told us: “If you have any further questions you can ask me at the end.”
In those examples, complaints and questions are not physical things, so you cannot use the word farther. Take one more look at the difference between this two words in context:
If we drive any farther tonight we’ll be too tired to continue driving tomorrow.
We should discuss this topic further before we make a decision.
