2020-10-27
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด L - Latter & later & former
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้อง นี้ เป็นไป ตามมาตรฐาน ของภาษา
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง Latter = ‘LAT-er’
ออกเสียง later = ‘LEI-ter’
ออกเสียง former = ‘FAWR-mer’
Dictionary.com
“Former” vs. “Latter”: What’s the Difference?
First things first:
former and latter are both terms
that denotean item’s place in a two-part sequence.
Former refers to the first of a set,
while latter refers to the second, or last, item.
They usually appear in the sentence immediately following the sequence they are describing.
Former and latter in sequence
Take this examplefrom The Young Student’s Companion:
“I have a grey horse and a black horse; take
the former, and send the latter to my brother.”
Here, the former itemin the list is a grey horse,
and the latter itemis a black horse.
By using the termsin this way,
the speaker manages to indicate which horse the listener should take
and whichshould be sent to their brother without having to repeat the full description of each horse.
Of course, the terms can be used independently of each other
while still referring to a sequence.
For example(from the New York Times):
“…Most suburbanites of those days
—when the word ‘sustainable’ had not yet been coined
—didn’t grow anything besides lawn and dandelions (the latter unintentionally).”
Additional uses and meanings
Both of these words have somewhat related secondary meanings.
Former first appearsin the 1100s, as a term equivalent to forme.
It means “preceding in time”
and can beused to describe “having once, or previously, been.”
For example, a new employee may be introduced as
“Jim, formerly of Very Big Corporation,”
with the clear meaningthat he’s no longer an employee there.
Similarly, Jimmy Carter is a former president in that he stopped being president in 1981.
In addition to meaning“being the second mentioned of two,”
latter can also refer to something that is “more advanced in time” and “near or comparatively near the end.”
It originatedbefore 1000 from the Old English lætra. The full name of the Mormon Church, for example, is “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”
Here, Latter-Day is a reference to a time period and is almost synonymous with late.
How to use them
Former and latter usually show up in formal or technical writing.
It’s rare that either word appears in casual speech.
This is partly because it sounds odd to modern listeners, but mostly because the audience can’t go back over the preceding sentence to double-check which item in a set is former and which is latter.
An easy way to remember the difference is to recall that
both former and first beginwith an F,
while both latter and last start with an L.
Just remember thatformer and latter
shouldn’t appear afterlists that contain more than two items.
COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY
USAGE FOR LATTER
The latter should only be used to refer to the second of two items:
many people choose to go by hovercraft rather than use the ferry, but I prefer the latter.
The last of threeor more items can be referred to as the last-named
Collins COBUILD English Usage
Former - late
1. 'former'
You use former in front of a nounto indicate that the person you are talking about is no longer the thing referred to by the noun.
For example,the former chairman of a company used to be the chairman, but is not the chairman now.
...former President Gerald Ford.
...William Nickerson, a former Treasury official.
2. 'late'
You use late in front of a name or nounto indicate that the person you are talking about has recently died.
...the late Mr Parkin.
I'd like to talk to you about your late husband.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
Latter – former
The latter should only be used to refer to the second of two things
or people which have already been mentioned.
Given the choice between working for someone else and working for the family business, she'd prefer the latter.
You use the former to talk about the first of two things already mentioned.
These two firms are in direct competition, with the former trying to cut costs and increase profits.
If you are talking about three or more things or people,
don't use 'the latter' or 'the former'.
Use an expressionwith the last or the first.
The company has three branches, in Birmingham, Plymouth, and Greenock.
The last of these will close next year.
If you are mentioning things for the first time,
don't use'the former' or 'the latter'.
Use the first or the second.
There will be two matches next week.
The first will be in Brighton, and the second in London.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
After – afterwards - later
1. 'after'
After is usually a preposition.
If something happens after a particular time or event,
it happens during the period that follows that time or event.
Vineeta came in just after midnight.
We'll hear about everything after dinner.
You can say that someone does something after doing something else.
After leaving school he worked as an accountant.
After completing and signing the form, please return it to me.
Be Careful!
Don't say that someone is 'after' a particular age.
You say that they are over that age.
She was well over fifty.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'after' to say that something is at the back ofsomething else.
The word you use is behind.
I've parked behind the school.
2. 'afterwards'
Afterwards is an adverb.
If something happens afterwards,
it happens after a particular event or time that has already been mentioned.
You often use afterwards in expressions like not long afterwards, soon afterwards, and shortlyafterwards.
She died soon afterwards.
Shortly afterwards her marriage broke up.
3. 'afterward'
Afterward is also sometimes used, especially in American English.
I left soon afterward.
Not long afterward, he made a trip from L.A. to San Jose.
4. 'later'
Later is an adverb. You use later to refer to a time or situation that follows the time when you are speaking.
I'll go and see her later.
A little, much, and not much can be used with later.
A little later, the lights went out.
I learned all this much later.
You can use after, afterwards, or later following a phrase that mentions a period of time, in order to say when something happens.
I met him five years after his wife's death.
She wrote about it six years afterwards.
Ten minutes later he left the house.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Can latter be used of more than two?
There is some controversy afoot regarding the useof latter,
particularlyregarding its use to refer to items in a series.
Many commentators insist that latter can only be used of a series that consists of two:
We have a chicken entree and a vegetarian entree: do you prefer the former or the latter?
When presented with a seriesof three or more,
they say, anyone wishing to highlight the last item in the series
should use last and not latter:
We had soup, fish, and dessert, and the last was uninspiring.
But our evidence shows that latter is used to refer to the last in a seriesregardless of number:
After Ethel's action at Oxford, the ultimate sacrifice that symbolizes her self-discipline, the focus moves away to other members of her family for the latter third of the novel...
— Melissa Schaub, Studies in the Novel, Spring 2007
...I am getting crosser and snappier and sadder every minute straining and struggling to type and to read and to draw (the latter is the easiest).
— James Thurber, letter, 9 June 1939
...bee not over-power'd with policie, nor with enforcement of arguments, nor with the approach of Souldiers, and Troopers; the two first may seeme to perswade you, the latter may terrifie you into an everlasting undoing...
— A.L., To all the honest, wise, and grave-citizens of London, but more especially to all those that challenge an interest in the Common-Hall, 1648
This use is common enough that most modern dictionaries make mention of it in their definitions for latter—and indeed they should, since our evidence for this particular use is several hundred years old.
Despite this evidence, however, there are still those who object to its use;
if you are concerned about such things, use last to refer to the last item in a series of three or more.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Choose the Right Synonym for former
Adjective
PRECEDING, ANTECEDENT, FOREGOING, PREVIOUS, PRIOR, FORMER, ANTERIOR
mean being before.
PRECEDING usually implies being immediately before in time or in place. the preceding sentence
ANTECEDENT applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation. conditions antecedent to the revolution
FOREGOING applies chiefly to statements. the foregoing remarks
PREVIOUS and PRIOR imply existing or occurring earlier, but PRIOR often adds an implication of greater importance. a child from a previous marriage a prior obligation
FORMER implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter. the former name of the company
ANTERIOR applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order. the anterior lobe of the brain
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
Later - latter
Except inthe expression “latter-day” (modern),
the word “latter” usually refers back to the last mentioned of a set of alternatives. “We gave the kids a choice of a vacation in Paris, Rome, or Disney World.
Of course, the latter was their choice.”
In other contexts, not referring back to such a list, the word you want is “later.”
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
Latter & later
As is mentioned in the entry FORMER,
Latter means“the second of two”:
“I prefer your Latter suggestion to your first.”
Latter also has the meaning of “more advanced in time” and “near the end”:
“In the Latter years of his life, he was a happy man.”
“In these Latter months she has become angry and frustrated.”
In sentences such asthese two,
later being the comparative degree of late.
Could be substituted for Latter.
However, lateris more likely to be used to refer largely
or solely to time references,
whereas latter can refer not only to time but to any kind of series:
“I may be free or occupied in the morning; in the latter event, I shall have to see you later in the day.”
