Further/Farther /Money

Tish Davidson · Nov 7, 2007

Okay, I'll try again since no one answered my earlier post. Could someone please explain the correct use of far, further and farther when it pertains to how far your money stretches. Does your money go far in Topeka but farther in Prague or does it go far in Topeka but further in Prague? I always thought farther implied physical distance, as in The school is farther from my house than his, but people talk about how far their money goes, so what is the comparative when dealing with money?

FennelGiraffe · Nov 7, 2007

I honestly don't know whether this is correct, but it seems to me that when talking about how 'far' your money will go, you are using distance as a metaphor for buying power. So you would use 'farther' as the comparative even though it's not actual physical distance.

Whereas 'further' means 'additional', as in "I've already paid you $500. Will there be any further cost?"

General Joy · Nov 8, 2007

Fennel, I think you hit the nail on the head. Far/farther IS supposed to refer to distance, and with money, you are talking about distance in a sense. It fits better than "further," which, as you said, means "additional" or "more". ("I'm not discussing this any further").

jst5150 · Nov 8, 2007

Farther is actual measure of physical distance. "I threw the quarter two feet farther than my dime." Further is a measure of time or degree. "I can stretch my dollar further buying generic brands."

Reference AP Stylebook et al.

Further/Farther /Money

Tish Davidson

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

General Joy

general soothsayer

jst5150

Vorpal Comics. Weekly Podcast. Twitch Artist. Vet