As Far As...

As Far As...Go

Sometimes, for students learning English, it can be difficult to know how to introduce a new idea to a topic that other people are discussing.

The phrase as far as...go is used to refer to a general topic about which you want to say something specific. It is often, but not always, followed by a contrasting pair of details. Make sure that the verb go in this expression agrees with the subject. In the examples below, I have put the subject agreements in orange.

- As far as places to live go, Beaverville is a nice place, but it's not what you'd call a capital of excitement.

- As far as thinking about my future goes, I'd rather just enjoy myself right now and worry about my career later.

As Far As...Know

There is another use of as far as that relates to expressing opinion, but it is used in different situations than those above. As far as...know is used to refer to a personal opinion on something the subject has not had direct experience with, or for something on which my information has not been updated. There is sometimes an implication that the subject may be missing information.

- As far as I know, he's still single. (ie. the last time I heard about him, he wasn't married yet, but he may be married now)

- As far as I know, War & Peace is a great book. (ie. I've heard many people say it's a great book, but I haven't read it, so I don't know)

- As far as my parents know, I'm at a movie with my friend. (ie. I'm really on a date with my girlfriend but my parents think I'm at the moview because I didn't give them all the information)

There is a common error made by Korean learners when trying to use this expression. They will sometimes use As I know instead of As far as I know. As I know has a completely different connotation. It sounds pretentious and patronizing, as if the speaker thinks s/he knows everything.

The frequest use of this phrase among Canadians is an interesting reflection of the Canadian psyche. In my opinion, Canadians use it a lot because they want to be diplomatic, especially when speaking to a group of people, and this expression allows them to state something they think is a fact but remain open that someone else might not share the same view.

As Far As...Be Concerned

Using as far as with be concerned refers to a personal opinion that is likely to differ from that of the listener (or someone else) regarding the chosen topic. It is not necessarily an opinion that is supported by evidence. In fact, it often depends on direct experience, rather than evidence.

- As far as I'm concerned, War & Peace is a great book.

- As far as I'm concerned, that guy is an idiot.

- As far as my friend is concerned, Barrack Obama is going to eliminate poverty in the United States.

As Far As...Can Tell

As far as...can tell is used when making judgements based only on one's own perception, usually based on one of the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). Please note that this use of the verb tell is not the one that means speak or say, it is the one that means notice or ascertain.

- As far as I can tell, he weighs about seventy kilograms.

- As far as I can tell, Sarah forgot to put salt in this sauce. It tastes bland.

As far as I can tell is more similar to as far as I know than it is to as far as I'm concerned because both deal with perception based on a lack of knowledge or personal experience. The difference between the two is that, with as far as I know, the opinion is usually based on what the speaker has heard, whereas with as far as I can tell, the opinion is usually based on what the speaker can see or perceive. Consider the following examples:

- As far as I know, War & Peace is a great book. (ie. I've heard many times from people that it's a great book)

- As far as I can tell, War & Peace is a great book. (ie. I read the back cover of the book, which says it's a great book)

Intangible Noun with ~wise

We use a noun with ~wise to capture something of the same sense as as far as ... goes. Similar to as far as...goes, it is used to refer to a general subject about which the speaker wants to go into specifics, often to weigh the pros and cons of a dilemma. This structure is always used with intangible nouns (you can't use tablewise in a sentence!) that speak of properties or qualities of things and situations.

- As far as location goes, the house is nice but as far as price goes, we can't really afford it.

- Locationwise, the house is nice, but pricewise we can't really afford it.

- Trafficwise, that company's website is one of the leaders in the industry.

If you are an English language learner, please feel free to create your own example any of these expressions, and post it using the Comments feature. I will let you know whether or not it is correct, and, if it isn't, how to fix it.


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