Farther VS Further

So I was working on Oblivion tonight, and I came across a really annoying further/farther moment. I didn't know which one to use! Since I am sure I am not the first writer to come across this dilemma, nor will I be the last, I google searched my little heart out until I found a really helpful tip. This is from Grammar Girl's Website. To read the full post, click the link! Here's the tidbit that I found infinitely helpful!

"Further" Versus "Farther"

The quick and dirty tip is to use “farther” for physical distance and “further” for metaphorical, or figurative, distance. It's easy to remember because “farther” has the word “far” in it, and“far” obviously relates to physical distance.

For example, imagine Squiggly and Aardvark are flying to a galaxy far, far away, but Squiggly gets bored and starts mercilessly bugging Aardvark. "How much farther?'" he keeps asking in despair.”

Did you hear that? Squiggly used “farther” because he was asking about physical distance.

If Aardvark gets frustrated with Squiggly, which he surely will, he could respond, “If you complain further, I'm going to shoot you out the airlock.”

Aardvark used “further” because he isn't talking about physical distance, he's talking about a figurative distance: the extent of Squiggly's complaining.

 

 

And there you have it! Another pit-stop on the Writer's Journey. Hope this helps you as much as it helped me! Happy reading, and come back for more soon.  

Jami Montgomery