farther, further 與 farthest, furthest 的用法區別與辨析

1. 表示距離時的區別與辨析

表示具體的距離時，四個詞都可用（可用作形容詞和副詞），但要根據句意確定是用比較級還是最高級。如：

Who walked the farthest [furthest]? 誰走得最遠?

I can throw much farther [further] than you. 我可以比你扔得更遠。

Which town is farther from this city? 哪個城鎮離這座城市更遠?

Whose car is the red one at the farther end? 在較遠那一端的那輛紅色轎車是誰的？

It isn’t safe to go any farther in this fog. 在這大霧里再往前走是不安全的。

We walked a mile further down the road. 我沿著那條路又走了一英里。

York is the farthest town. 約克是(離這里)最遠的城市。

What’s the farthest place you’ve ever been to? 你到過的最遠地方是哪兒?

I wonder who can swim (the) farthest. 我不知道誰游得最遠。

2. 用于引申義時的區別與辨析

用于引申義時，只用further和furthest，若表示“更進一步”“更多”“此外”等比較級意義，用further；若表示“最遠”“最多”等最高級意義，用furthest。如：

We didn't argue further. 我們沒有再爭論。

The police are on the hunt for further clues. 警方正進一步尋找線索。

We agreed without much further argument. 我們沒怎么爭論就達成了一致意見。

We haven't got any further information to date. 到目前為止我們尚未獲得進一步的消息。

We must await further developments. 我們必須等待事態的進一步發展。

You and I must have an understanding before going any further. 你我必須先取得諒解才能再繼續。

There being no further business, l declare the meeting closed. 沒有再要討論的事了，我宣布散會。

His manner seemed unpleasant at first, but he improved on further acquaintance. 他的舉止起初讓人很不愉快，但是經過進一步接觸他改了許多。

This was the furthest concession he would make. 這是他肯做出的最大的讓步。

She went the furthest of all the children in her education. 在所有孩子當中她是受教育最多的。

This was the furthest point they reached in their discussion. 他們在討論中最遠就談到這里。

另外，further還可用作動詞，表示“增進”“推進”等(其他幾個詞一般不這樣用)。如：

His support furthered my career. 他的支持促進了我的事業。