farther, further 与 farthest, furthest 的用法区别与辨析
1. 表示距离时的区别与辨析
表示具体的距离时，四个词都可用（可用作形容词和副词），但要根据句意确定是用比较级还是最高级。如：
Who walked the farthest [furthest]? 谁走得最远?
I can throw much farther [further] than you. 我可以比你扔得更远。
Which town is farther from this city? 哪个城镇离这座城市更远?
Whose car is the red one at the farther end? 在较远那一端的那辆红色轿车是谁的？
It isn’t safe to go any farther in this fog. 在这大雾里再往前走是不安全的。
We walked a mile further down the road. 我沿着那条路又走了一英里。
York is the farthest town. 约克是(离这里)最远的城市。
What’s the farthest place you’ve ever been to? 你到过的最远地方是哪儿?
I wonder who can swim (the) farthest. 我不知道谁游得最远。
2. 用于引申义时的区别与辨析
用于引申义时，只用further和furthest，若表示“更进一步”“更多”“此外”等比较级意义，用further；若表示“最远”“最多”等最高级意义，用furthest。如：
We didn't argue further. 我们没有再争论。
The police are on the hunt for further clues. 警方正进一步寻找线索。
We agreed without much further argument. 我们没怎么争论就达成了一致意见。
We haven't got any further information to date. 到目前为止我们尚未获得进一步的消息。
We must await further developments. 我们必须等待事态的进一步发展。
You and I must have an understanding before going any further. 你我必须先取得谅解才能再继续。
There being no further business, l declare the meeting closed. 没有再要讨论的事了，我宣布散会。
His manner seemed unpleasant at first, but he improved on further acquaintance. 他的举止起初让人很不愉快，但是经过进一步接触他改了许多。
This was the furthest concession he would make. 这是他肯做出的最大的让步。
She went the furthest of all the children in her education. 在所有孩子当中她是受教育最多的。
This was the furthest point they reached in their discussion. 他们在讨论中最远就谈到这里。
另外，further还可用作动词，表示“增进”“推进”等(其他几个词一般不这样用)。如：
His support furthered my career. 他的支持促进了我的事业。