I’m posting a little later this week as I’ve been hard at work, reviewing my editors preliminary edits of the manuscript for Unspeakable.
I’ve learned quite a few things. Among them? I’m dash crazy – a fact I already knew. 😉
One of the things that surprised me though is that I used “further” incorrectly. Check out this sentence from Unspeakable:
I decide to take what little I can get and sink further into the couch, further into him.
My editor, Tanis, with ReVision Editing, changed it to this:
I decide to take what little I can get and sink farther into the couch, farther into him.
What’s the difference? Well, I wasn’t sure. So I asked my husband, a man who uses the word “tranche” in everyday conversation. True story. Over beers with friends, he used the word “tranche”. But I digress.
He wasn’t sure, but said he preferred my version.
So, I looked it up. And here’s what I found out:
‘Farther’ signifies distances. As in, “The hare is farther down the track than the turtle.”
Whereas, ‘further’ is a figurative term, as in, “You’ll get further in life, if you study hard.”
However, some dictionaries say that they can be used interchangeably. So, I guess it depends on who you believe and what feels right.
This is my final version of that sentence:
I decide to take what little I can get and sink farther into the couch, further into him.
I always meant the second ‘further’ to be figurative, as when she sinks into the couch, she is allowing the relationship to progress further.
Whoops, I meant to query you on that, J.R.! Great choice! And a perfect example of how distinguishing between the two terms can be an effective tool. 🙂
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I think in this case, it was better to think it through on my own – the process helped me learn the rule better. You did an awesome job catching so many things.
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Love the reference to Pete using Tranche in our conversation!!! I like your final version of the sentence!
Marnie
Sent from my iPhone
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I like your final version of the sentence. You have one smart hubby!
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Pete says, “You’re right!” I chime in, “He did pick me after all!”
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