Sasha
Professional Teacher
Is there any difference between farther and further. I thought that I could say "Sydney is farther from London than Delhi." as well as "Sydney is further from London than Delhi." But I heard from one of the English teacher's that they are different. “Father” is a measure of distance! “Further” is a matter of degree! So an example would be “You can travel farther in one day by airplane then you can by a car.” “Further” is a matter of degree or aptitude. It’s a little more intangible, little bit more abstract than the very concrete “farther”. “Further” means something less tangible. So, an example might be “The learning of student group A isn't as further along student group B.” So this might mean the first Group, student group A progressed more rapidly in their learning in the language acquisition something like that So, if I say "Sydney is further from London than Delhi", would it be correct? Thank you!
Aug 13, 2017 2:10 PM
Answers · 7
2
Your teacher is right to distinguish between the literal meaning - a greater distance away - and the figurative meaning - additional, or more advanced. Either form - 'further' or 'farther' - can be used for the literal meaning, but only 'further' can be used for the figurative meaning. So you can say 'Sydney is further away than Delhi' or 'Sydney is farther away than Delhi'. Both are correct and both mean exactly the same. But you can only say 'I need further information', not 'I need farther information'.
August 13, 2017
1
“The learning of student group A isn't as further along student group B.” That sentence is grammatically incorrect. The phrase is "isn't as far along". Also, although there may have been a grammatical difference at one point, nowadays they are used interchangeably (at least in the United States).
August 13, 2017
1
They are used interchangeably in terms of distance. Whether something is farther away or further away, I don't care! I still have some walking to do! But as John says, there are situations where they are not interchangeable. Further information, further details, further issues, etc. Never farther! For FURTHER details, consult a good dictionary. Ha!
August 13, 2017
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