Farther vs. Further

It is common to use farther and further interchangeably. They both have similar meaning; however, there are subtle differences in their usage.

Farther is used to describe or discuss physical distances.

Example: Susie walked farther down the road.

Further is used  to discuss degree or extent or figurative distance.

Example:  Susie wanted to discuss the issues further.

Both can be used interchangeably  in a situation where one can be referring to either physical distances or figurative distances.  

Example: Susie is further vs farther along in her book reading than Lucie.

In this case, Susie can be referring either to physical book pages (farther) or through the story content of the book (further).

Other tidbits:

One can apply further in places of advancing something like a project.

Further can be used in place of moreover or additionally as in “further, you took my belongings”… 

It is common to see furthermore used as well ….

Take home lesson:

 So, which one do you use when you interrupt someone in the middle of a sentence? Is it “before you go any further, or “before you go any farther”? It depends on If you are referencing physical or measurable distance (or advancing of) or figurative distance (degree/extent of). General rule is when in doubt, it is safer to use further as farther tends to carry more restrictions.

“With persistence, I will go farther to further my goals”.

-able vs. -ible

Both are suffixes used to connote “can be”, “able to”, and “capable of”.  They are both added to words to give those words “power to be”, “ability to”, or “skill”. They are used to form adjectives when attached at end of words. The difference between the two is in when to use them.

 General rule of thumb:

The use of “Able”: if root word is a complete English word on its own. 

Examples: fashionable, affordable, valuable, suitable, comfortable, dependable.

The use of “ible”:  if the root word is not a complete functional word that can stand on its own.

Examples: audible, visible, horrible, terrible, edible, eligible, incredible, permissible.

Extra rule of thumb:

If the root is a complete word that ends in vowel, drop the last e, add –able.

Example: excus-e + able = excusable. Others: advisable, desirable, valuable, debatable.

If a word has a vowel before a y, keep the y and add –able. Example: enjo-y + able= enjoyable

If a word has consonant before y, drop y and add-ible. Example: rel-y + ible = reliable

Exceptions to the rules

The use of both –ible and –able for a single word which can either have the same meaning or carry different meanings. Examples: extendable vs. extendible, collectable vs. collectibles, defendable vs. defensible.

The use of –ible in complete words. Examples: contemptible, digestible, and flexible.

The use of –able in non-words. Examples: irritable, inevitable.

Take home lesson:

These rules may seem intuitive for Native English speakers, but it can be quite a challenge for those whose primary language is not English.  To make simplify things, use –able for complete words and –ible for non-words. Most words end with the suffix –able. Only about 76 English words have been identified as ending with suffix –ible.  So then, it is safe to say, when in doubt, use –able.

 

“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication” –Leonardo De Vinci.