'I couldn't swim any further, so I drowned.'
Is the above sentence acceptable?
Printable View
'I couldn't swim any further, so I drowned.'
Is the above sentence acceptable?
Yes, but there'd be very little use for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by sitifan
Point number one: Further describes a matter of degree. "If you have any further interest in this matter, please contact me." Farther describes a comparison of distance. "You live farther from the library than I do."
Point number two: If you had drowned, you'd be dead now.
Q: If a person has drowned, can he speak?
A: Yes, if a dead person can speak.
:-)
Sitifan has used "further" correctly here, even if you do want to maintain a difference with "farther". He could not swim beyond the degree that he already had.Quote:
Originally Posted by mykwyner
Even so, most dictionaries seem to give "farther" as one of the definitions of "further". (Cambridge, Macquarie, Oxford, Merriam-Webster)
:up: ... except in a rather whimsical sort of novel ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Raymott
b
Yes, I had something like that in mind. In fact Peter Carey's book and film Bliss was narrated partly by the hero after he died. There have been several TV series with dead characters - Someone and Hopkirk (deceased).Quote:
Originally Posted by BobK
Another point is that many people believe that spirits can communicate from the other side, and to them, this would be quite a normal sentence.
So, while I personally don't believe this happens, the language still has a need to cater for the possibility for the possibility. :-)
I agree. (Out of laziness, I didn't make the point on my own. ;-))Quote:
Originally Posted by Raymott
:-)
In William Golding's Pincher Martin, the hero is unaware, as are the readers, that he has in fact drowned until the end of the book.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raymott