“Further” and “farther” often are mistaken for each other in much the same way that “comprise” and “compose” are. It’s understandable; “further” and “farther” are separated only by a single vowel. Despite that small separation, the two words are intended for different uses.
“Further” is a word that refers to additional time, amount, or other abstract matters. Thus, people can discuss a matter further but not farther. A deadline, too, can be extended further – an odd choice of phrasing, to be sure, but correct.
“Farther” always refers to additional distance. It’s a word that’s the bane of all parents’ existences: “How much farther is it to Grandma’s house?” It also might be used to talk about the Aesop’s Fables track team: Jack the Rabbit can run farther than Thomas the Turtle. That sentence is troublesome; it is possible that Thomas can run further than Jack if he has the sufficient stamina and determination (and the story says he does).
In general, the two words typically don’t have such a close association despite the vowel issue. They’re two different words. They have different meanings and are meant to be used for different purposes.
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I like different purposes, and I like the Turabbit:) Cheers! Kaarina
KDillabough I was just thinking of the Turabbit yesterday, but it wasn’t related to this post. I’ll have to unravel. I woke up with four different songs playing a medley and have lost that particular train of thought.
I needed this. No longer vexed by further/farther!
dwaynealicie Yay!
Maybe I do need to compile all these posts together…I know barrettrossie will say yes to the idea since he’s the one who suggested it first. Do you know him?
Erin F. barrettrossie I do!! He-he-hello! And I definitely think you should compile them …
dwaynealicie Erin F. barrettrossie Looks like I have my next e-book assignment. 🙂
So….can it be correct to ask “How much further to Grandma’s house?” if we are interested in finding out how much more time until we have arrived? ( I can be a real pistol, can’t I?) 😉
SocialMediaDDS You’re such a troublemaker, and, yes, you’re correct. 🙂