Have you ever been confused about the difference between “farther” and “further”? If so, then fret no longer. The answer is simpler than you might think.

The word “farther” is used in relation to physical distance. For example, if you are forced to listen to John Tesh in the car on a road trip, you may quickly begin to complain that your destination is farther than you thought.

The word “further”, on the other hand, is used in a more abstract sense. For example, you might correctly say that you came to writerinside.com to further your philological education or to gain further insight into proper grammar usage.

However, there might be cases when it gets a little more confusing. If you’ve read more of the book than the rest of the people in your book club, would you say you’ve read farther into the book than the rest of them, or further? Any guesses?

If you said “further,” you would be correct. Remember that “farther” involves physical distance. Even though page 600 of a book may be a couple millimeters farther away from the front cover of the book than page 10, that’s not really the point you’re trying to make when you say you’ve read further into a book than someone else. Rather, you’re saying that you’re further into the story as it pertains to time.

For further discussion, drop a comment or question.