2021-05-08
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด – A – as far as
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Usage Note:
As far as is often used as a preposition
meaning "as for" or "regarding," especially in speech.
This construction derives from the term's use as a conjunction
(as in: as far as the election goes),
butwith the verb of the clause omitted (as far as the election).
A large majority of the Usage Panel frowns on this usage.
In our 2011 survey, 71 percent
found the prepositional use unacceptable in the sentence
As far as something to do on the weekend,
we didn't even have miniature golf.
And 74 percent objected to as far as
when followed by a noun clause in the sentence
As far as how the victim got shot, we don't know yet.
Objectionto this construction has decreased slightly
among the Panelists since 1994, when 80 percent
objected to the first sentence and 89 percent to the second.
Our Living Language
Despite the admonitions detailed in the Usage Note,
it is the case that many speakers often
drop the verbal partof the as far as construction,
as in: As far as a better house, I don't want one
(instead of: As far as a better house is concerned ...).
This trend is more noticeable in speech than in writing.
Like other examples of language variation and change,
a numberof constraints that we follow regularly,
although unconsciously,
governthe dropping of the verb in as far as constructions.
For instance,
if as far as precedes a personal pronoun
orone whose point of view is being represented
(as far as he is concerned),
the verb cannot be deleted
(notice that as far as he is strikingly ungrammatical).
The longer and more complex the noun or sentence
that follows as far as, the more likely the verb is to be omitted.
Thus,
As far as getting a better house to live in,
we ... is more likely to be uttered than As far as a house,
we.... The very similar phrase so far as
is found within verbless constructions in complex sentences
that use gerundsas early as the 19th century,
as in Jane Austen's novel Emma:
"So far as our living with Mr. Churchill at Enscombe, it is settled."
These omissions in longer constructions seem to have initiated the change leading totheir omission in short locutions.
Only in the 20th century do we find first noun phrases
and then simple nouns without a form of go or be concerned.
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
as far as
Originallypeople used to say things like
“As far as music is concerned, I especially love Baroque opera.”
Recently they have begun to drop the “is concerned” part of the phrase.
Perhaps this shift was influenced by confusion
with a similar phrase, “as for.”
“As for money, I don’t have any,” is fine;
“As far as money, I don’t have any,” is clumsy
