Grammatically Correct 10/31/2007
A weekly grammar tip created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors.
University of Houston-Victoria
3007 N. Ben Wilson
Victoria, TX 77901
When to Use Former and Latter
by Candice Chovanec Melzow

Writers are often confused over the meaning of  former and latter when these words are used in a sentence. Here’s an example sentence that shows the correct usage of these words:

Ex: John likes both ferrets and guinea pigs as pets, but he really prefers the former over the latter.

The example sentence above indicates that John likes ferrets more than guinea pigs because former is used to refer to the first item or person in a pair. In contrast, latter is used to refer to the second item or person in a pair, as shown in the following example:

Ex: Although lasagna and pizza are both popular dishes in the school cafeteria, most students prefer the latter.

The example sentence above indicates that most students prefer the school cafeteria’s pizza over its lasagna.

An easy trick for remembering the meaning of these two commonly-confused terms is that former, which means first, begins with an “f,” and latter, which means last, begins with an “l.” Here’s a simple diagram to illustrate this mnemonic device:

                 former = first                                     latter = last

Sometimes it’s best to avoid using former and latter entirely because this pair may cause the reader to have to slow down and reread part of the sentence. However, there are situations when you may actually want to use these terms to force the reader to slow down. Even in the latter situation it’s best to avoid overusing these terms because the reader will grow tired of having to slow the pace of his/her reading. In summary, it’s important to be aware of your audience and their needs to determine whether or not former and latter are appropriate for your writing situation.

Tip: Former and latter should only be used when comparing two items. If you are comparing a series of items rather than just two items, you should use the terms “first” and “last” instead, as shown in the following example:

Ex: Jill traveled to Aruba in March, Australia in April, and Paris in May, but her favorite vacation was the last.

The word last in the example sentence above signals to the writer that Jill’s favorite vacation was her trip to Paris.
 

                                                 Definitions

former - the first of two people or things that are mentioned.


latter - the second of two people or things that are mentioned.

Definitions adapted from the Longman Dictionary of American English
 
Recommended Grammar Website of the Week
by Candice Chovanec Melzow

In addition to our website, we recommend the “Quizzes on the Notorious Confusables” page with links to five interactive quizzes on commonly confused words and links to three quizzes that are dedicated to specific problem pairs.

 
Test Your Knowledge
by Candice Chovanec Melzow
Test your understanding of former and latter by choosing the correct word in each of the sentences below.

1. Mocha Brown, Snow White, and Basic Beige were all considered for the living room paint color, but Susie preferred the (latter, last).

2. Joan liked both dogs and cats, but because of her cat allergies, she preferred the (former, latter).

3. Earl went to the grocery store for eggs and milk, but he was unable to purchase the (first, former) due to a chicken shortage in Spring Valley.

4. Although the professor enjoyed the poetry of both Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, her interest in women’s studies led her to prefer the (former, latter).

Answers

1. Mocha Brown, Snow White, and Basic Beige were all considered for the living room paint color, but Susie preferred the last.

2. Joan liked both dogs and cats, but because of her cat allergies, she preferred the former.

3. Earl went to the grocery store for eggs and milk, but he was unable to purchase the former due to a chicken shortage in Spring Valley.

4. Although the professor enjoyed the poetry of both Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, her interest in women’s studies led her to prefer the latter.
 

 

 

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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