Adverbs

“Farther” vs. “Further”

Adjectives, Adverbs, Versus

I often hear these two words used interchangeably.

Problem:
These two words, whether as adjectives or as adverbs, are not quite synonyms.

Explanation:
Although it is true that “farther” and “further” have been used interchangeably for years, grammarians today increasingly consider these two words to have a physical-versus-metaphorical distinction.

As an adjective, the primary meaning of the word “farther” is more remote or distant than some place or something closer.

An example of the use of “farther” as an adjective is “The truck is on the farther side of the warehouse.”

As an adverb, the primary meaning of the word “farther” is to or at a great distance.

An example of the use of “farther” as an adverb is “Chuck Yeager flew farther toward outer space than did any of his contemporaries.”

As an adjective, the primary non-“farther” meaning of the word “further” is more extended.

An example of the use of “further” as an adjective is “Any further delay in our flight home would mean that we would not be home for Christmas.”

As an adverb, the primary non-“farther” meaning of the word “further” is to or at a more advanced point.

An example of the use of “further” as an adverb is “I may not go further with my studies until I pass that exam.”

Solution:
Use “farther” only for physical distance; prefer “further” for metaphorical distance (in space or time).

“poorly-written piece”

Adverbs, Hyphens

I saw this the other day.

Problem:
No hyphen should appear in this phrase.

Explanation:
When an adverb, such as “poorly”, that ends in L-Y together with another word, such as the past participle “written”, occur before and modify a noun, no hyphen should appear between the -ly adverb and the other word that together form a compound word.

This is in contrast to adverbs that do not end in L-Y.

For example, a “well-written piece” — with a hyphen between “well” and “written” — is correct.

I tried to compare “poorly-written piece” — with the hyphen — to “poorly written piece” — without the hyphen — in Google, but I did not determine how to force Google to retain the hyphen in the requested search for the hyphenated phrase, even though I put the quotation marks around the hyphenated phrase.

If you know how to force Google to retain punctuation — such as a hyphen — in a search phrase, then please contact me. Thanks!

Solution:
“poorly written piece”

“I feel bad.” vs. “I feel badly.”

Adjectives, Adverbs, Verbs, Versus

I thought again about these two forms after hearing someone claim that only one of these was correct.

Problem:
The verb “feel” can take an adjective or an adverb.

Explanation:
The verb “feel” is a loaded verb in that it relates to a state of health or emotion as well as to the sense of touch.

The verb “feel” can be used as a linking verb, which is called a “copula” in linguistics.

A linking verb ties the subject of a sentence with the predicate of the sentence.

As described elsewhere, the verbs “be”, “become”, and “seem” are called true linking verbs because they can be nothing else.

Examples include:

  • “I am rich!”
  • “You became wealthy.”
  • “They seem nice.”

In contrast, each of the following verbs can act as an action verb or as a linking verb:

  • “appear”;
  • “feel”;
  • “grow”
  • “look”;
  • “prove”;
  • “remain”;
  • “smell”;
  • “sound”;
  • “taste”;
  • “turn”.

Here are examples of these verbs used as action verbs, each of which can be modified by one or more adverbs:

  • “She effortlessly appeared from the bushes.”
  • “He barely feels that tack in the carpet.”
  • “Mary often grows hibiscus plants.”
  • “Look now at that cow crossing the road!”
  • “Can you quickly prove this theorem?”
  • “I can remain here.”
  • “Everyone should always smell the flowers.”
  • “Paul Revere urgently sounded the alarm.”
  • “Can they barely taste the ginger in that dessert?”
  • “Please slowly turn the car to the right at the next light.”

Here are examples of the same verbs used as linking verbs, each of which is followed by an adjective:

  • “She appears ill.”
  • “He feels odd.”
  • “Mary grows angry when she sees her hibiscus flowers destroyed.”
  • “Darling, you look marvelous!”
  • “Purchase of Manhattan proved inexpensive.”
  • “The dishes remain dirty.”
  • “You smell delightful.”
  • “His argument sounds correct.”
  • “This dessert tastes delicious.”
  • “His face turns red when you embarrass him.”

Solution:
Use “I feel bad.” to describe the current state of your emotions or health. Use “I feel badly.” to describe your ability to feel with your sensory neurons.