| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| former, latter (adjs., nn.) |
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| Conservative advice is to use these words to refer to members of a group of no more than two: The former is the first of the pair, the latter the second. But even some Edited English, which usually demands the last for three or more, will occasionally permit latter to be used of the last or most recently mentioned item—and sometimes items—in a group containing more than two: The catcher, two infielders, and the right fielder all missed the team bus, and by game time, only the latter had reached the ballpark. In Semiformal and Conversational use, both former and latter are sometimes used to refer to members of groups containing more than two, but they frequently make a clumsy sentence: We sat around on the terrace—Beth, Lisa, and the young cousins and I—and the former regaled us with stories about her trip. Former as adjective—the former secretary, a former champion—usually means the same thing as ex- (which see) does when used as a prefix. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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