


Similarly, latter doesn’t always refer to the second item in a series. Bob has lost so much weight he’s a shadow of his former self.My former bedroom is now our living room.That’s my former boss, whom I worked for in 1998.To complicate things, both former and latter can be used as adjectives.įormer is sometimes used to refer to things that happened in the past or are related to a past event. Now your reader (or listener) knows that your brother had salad and your sister had soup. former: the late manager of this firm of late recently lately adv. Coming or happening after something else opposed to former as the former and latter rain former or latter. The former ordered salad, the latter chose soup.” later - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. Here’s another example: “I met my brother and my sister for lunch. The former loves going for walks, and the latter does not.”įormer refers to the first object (the dog), and latter the second (the parrot). When you use former and latter in a sentence, it’s usually because you want to qualify something and need to let your reader know which of the two objects mentioned that you’re referring to.įor example: “I have a dog and a parrot. Former vs latter – definition and examples
Fromer later definition professional#
They’re also much more common in formal writing, such as academic papers or professional memos.įormer and latter generally go together and are used to identify items in a series or sequence. Learn these rules, and you’re on your way to concise and clear communication! When we use former and latterīefore we dive into the differences between former and latter, it’s worth noting one big similarity – both are mainly used in writing rather than speech. These terms are often used interchangeably (and incorrectly, unfortunately), but there are very distinct rules about when they should be applied. If you’re always getting stuck on whether to use ‘latter’ or ‘former,’ read on.

Tidying up your grammar blind spots can help you sound more professional and properly express what you’re trying to articulate. In the latter definition, I am helping you understand the thing, pointing your mind to other things so that you get a picture of it. So much so that even the experts get it wrong sometimes.Īlas, it’s worth taking the time to get your terminology right.
Fromer later definition full#
The English language is full of problematic phrases and grammar hang-ups.
