Mm, Mhm. Good evening. Tonight I am
in full comma queen costume to celebrate Halloween, and
we're going to talk about a murky subject. The
difference between farther and further farther is used for physical
distances and further is used for metaphorical distance. We're
going to first look at a clear cut use of
farther in this piece about Ursula K. Le Guin
. She's describing a legend far out in the Pacific
Ocean. But not farther than a canoe can paddle
someplace that's physically very far away. Further is a
little more complicated to explain. People think. I
mean everything I say and full of conviction. Often
when I'm actually just floating balloons and ready for a
discussion or argument or further pursuit of the subject.
She's going further in her pursuit of some intellectual idea
, so that's completely clear, right so far.
Now, in the very next paragraph, Ludwin is
discussing her approach to writing. She says both directions
, meaning analytical and intuitive. Strike me is becoming
more and more sterile, the farther you follow them
. By our definition, the correct word would have
been further in that case. But because she begins
with these words both directions, it sounds like it's
going to be physical right in each direction, so
we left it the way it is because that's what
she said. That is one of the difficulties in
distinguishing between further and farther. You might change a
further to a farther when you're completely sure that this
is a physical distance. But I would hesitate to
change farther to further okay, and when you go
trick or treating, don't go farther from home then
the comma queen would like.