further, farther

[gjo123]

Do we say "is it further from here" or "is it farther from here"?

[Casiopea]

My own rule: far refers to distance, to something far away, so "farther", not "further".

American English:

Is it the further you get in your trip, the farther you get in your book or the other way around? Many writers since the Middle English period have used farther and further interchangeably. A relatively recent rule, however, states that farther should be reserved for physical distance and further for nonphysical, metaphorical advancement. Thus 74 percent of the Usage Panel prefers farther in the sentence If you are planning to drive any farther than Ukiah, you’d better carry chains, whereas 64 percent prefers further in the sentence We won’t be able to answer these questions until we are further along in our research. In many cases, however, it is hard to see the difference. If we speak of a statement that is far from the truth, for example, we should also allow the use of farther in a sentence such as Nothing could be farther from the truth. But Nothing could be further from the truth is so common that it has become a fixed expression.

Source: http://www.bartelby.com/64/C003/0121.html

For usage in the UK and Australia, try here: www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/76-451/watts.html

[herbiji]

first thanks a lot Casiopea for the sources you provided .
As I read the source you proived I understood this I hope I am right
in the American English they are interchangeable even the difference is confused .
and that some difference between them as
farther used for phisical distance and further for nonphisical
..................
UK english and Austerilian English
as I read the source you provide I understand the difference between farther \ further is that
when they come as adverbs they may used interchangeablely , if there is no notion for distance
and if they used as adjectives Farther is taking over the meaning of distance ( the farther house from here ) and further the meaning of addition <I don't want further information to discover the truth >.
this for usage in the Uk and Australia
I hope I am right
again thanks Casiopea for the information you provide us

[Casiopea]

Looks good.

[herbiji]

I am very happy my teacher Casiopea
to your present here in the forum
and benefit from you

[Casiopea]

You're welcome, herbiji.