Prompt Proofing Blog Post: Grammar Tips - Further or Farther?

    VANCOUVER, BC, December 07, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- This one causes confusion for a lot of people. The simplest way to approach it is to use farther when you are talking about physical distance and further when speaking figuratively.

For example:

It would be quicker to fly to Toronto; New York is much farther.

I will have to go a few miles farther to find a gas station open at this hour.

Compare:

If you want to take this further then you can write to the Board of Governors.

We can discuss this further next time.

One easy way to remember is to use farther when you are comparing two places that are far away.

Of course, it is never quite that simple - there are situations where it is clear that some sort of 'distance' is implied, although it is not strictly physical. For example:

I thought you would have been further along with that project by now.

There is a 'distance' of sorts - in terms of progress made through a particular project. Some would argue for the use of farther in this situation. However, if in doubt, further is the safest default in a controversial situation such as this.

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