Ask About English!!! Q17: 'as long as/ as far as'

Hi

What's the difference between : as far as and as long as

Antonio


Dear Antonio,

Here are the main uses of 'as long as' and 'as far as':

As long as

The as ... as construction is used when we are making comparisons and comparing ideas of similar magnitude or duration.

He worked for as long as he wanted to on the project.
Take as long as you like," they said. "There's no hurry!"
As long as I live, I shall smoke no more cigarettes.

Note that as long as is also used in conditional sentences as an alternative to provided, meaning if and only if. So long as is also possible in this context:

I don't mind. You can leave early, as long as you finish the work.
I don't mind. You can leave after lunch, provided you finish all the work.

As far as

It can be used to compare things of a similar distance:

Walk as far as the bank, and then turn left.
Bob lives as far as John from the center of town.

It can also be used to express to what degree, extent or amount something is:

As far as I can see, Man Utd are going to win.
As far as I'm concerned, Britney Spears is mad
As far as I can tell it's an authentic antique
It's a good job as far as it goes, but it may need more work
James said that, as far as he can remember, he's never met Mike

Hope this answers your question

Thanks

Matt