# Why is “further and further” preferred to “farther and farther” in the following sentence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322 "2015-10-21T03:46:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Melia\_Antiqua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@Melia\_Antiqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melia_Antiqua)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/1 "2015-10-21T03:46:34Z")
Man: The real culprit is free, and he’s **further and further** away with every hour you waste prancing around in here. – vs – Man: The real culprit is free, and he’s **farther and farther** away with every hour you waste prancing around in here. I would have thought “ **farther** ” would be the correct word to use here, as the speaker is talking about the ever-widening _ **distance** _ between him and the culprit. But the original sentence written by a native speaker uses “ **further** ” instead. So I was wondering why “further” might be a preferred word here? Many thanks. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/2 "2015-10-21T03:48:01Z")
I think farther is correct and the original sentence was written by a native speaker who doesn’t know the correct usage ---
**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/3 "2015-10-21T03:53:03Z")
Even native speakers have a tough time with certain words and phrases which sound very similar. This is one of them. Heck, I once met a native speaker of English who didn’t know the difference between “sale” and “sell”. You are correct. “Farther” is appropriate when discussing distance. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/4 "2015-10-21T04:53:26Z")
I agree that “farther” is probably correct here, but depending on the context, “further” could be correct. For instance, the criminal in question might currently be in communication with you, but is in the process of going underground/off the grid/etc. He might be becoming increasingly difficult to find even if he isn’t getting physically farther away. ---
**Author:** ![Melia\_Antiqua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@Melia\_Antiqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melia_Antiqua)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/5 "2015-10-21T05:20:31Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I agree that “farther” is probably correct here, but depending on the context, “further” could be correct. For instance, the criminal in question might currently be in communication with you, but is in the process of going underground/off the grid/etc. He might be becoming increasingly difficult to find even if he isn’t getting physically farther away. Thank you. Now I see that the actual distance is not the only factor to consider here and the use of “further” is warranted as well. If the culprit is hiding in the woods seven miles away, they will have a much harder time finding him than they do when the culprit is as many as 100 miles away but living a normal life in a town. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/6 "2015-10-21T07:00:24Z")
Someone who speaks British English can correct me, but I’ve read that the distinction in American English between the two is less on that side of the Pond. In American English we tend to use farther for physical distances and further for abstract ones, but they use the two moe interchangeably. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/7 "2015-10-21T08:27:24Z")
I don’t use the word “farther”. Ever. It’s a glaring Americanism, to this Commonwealth English-speaker ([and others](http://random-idea-english.blogspot.co.za/2011/10/q-further-or-farther-british.html) - “It is especially interesting to note that the BBC corpus contains absolutely no cases of farther”), and doubly so when there’s an attempt at making the distinction in the OP. And [Oxford](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/farther-or-further) says either usage is correct. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/8 "2015-10-21T09:23:58Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Someone who speaks British English can correct me, but I’ve read that the distinction in American English between the two is less on that side of the Pond. In American English we tend to use farther for physical distances and further for abstract ones, but they use the two moe interchangeably. I didn’t know that American English distinguished between the two, so there’s my new knowledge of the day (so far. Or fur :D). And I’m a British English speaker, English teacher and linguistics graduate, so if I didn’t know the difference then most people probably won’t, arrogant as that sounds. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/9 "2015-10-21T09:54:47Z")
As a slightly pedantic English English speaker, I have never use farther either. ---
**Author:** ![Jesta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Jesta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jesta)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-further-and-further-preferred-to-farther-and-farther-in-the-following-sentence/735322/10 "2015-10-21T10:38:19Z")
In the first published example that came to my mind, it’s used in a song, by an American singer/songwriter to describe someone that is falling into a coma, and it is of course… “Slippin’ farther an farther away” If you’ve got ten minutes to spare for a good lyrical journey, [- YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgnaYyFLCx8) (lyrics on screen, farther and farther @ 2:49)