Difference between Far and Far Away

Key Difference: Far is an adverb and an adjective that indicates that something is located at a distance. When used it lets others know that the subject is at a distance from the object. Far away is an adverb phrase. It modifies the subject is to indicate that the subject is located at a large distance from something else, more so than just far.

English is not a simple language to learn or use. In fact, it is so notorious for being difficult that even native speakers complain about it. So one can only image what it will be like for non native speakers, especially those that are just trying to learn the language.

One of the things that really tend to upset students is the use of words and phrases that tend to look and sound similar but in fact are different and are supposed to be used quite differently. In these kinds of instances, even seasoned speakers of the language tend to misuse the phrases.

Far and Far Away is one such instance. Many people tend to think that the two mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably. However, the English language is rarely this kind, which means that the two are different and are used differently.

Both terms are quite similar, which is where the confusion arises. In fact, the term far away is built up on the term far. Far is an adverb and an adjective that indicates that something is located at a distance. When used it lets others know that the subject is at a distance from the object. For example: “The school is far” or “The school is far from my house”. The first sentence indicates that the school is located at a distance, while the second indicates that the school is located at a distance from the house.

The term far can also be used to indicate distance covered. For example: “We have travelled far” or “The cat strayed far from home”. Both examples indicate that a great distance has been covered by us and the cat. Far can also be used to signify time, such “the movie takes place far in the future.” This specifies that the movie is set in years into the future.

Far away, on the other hand, is an adverb phrase, which means that it is a phrase that is used to modify the subject. The way this phrase modifies the subject is to indicate that the subject is located at a large distance from something else.

The terms far and far away may appear to be similar, but they are quite different. Far has many contexts and can be used in a variety of ways. However, far away is most commonly used in the context of distance. Furthermore, the phrase far away is built by modified the word far; hence, it is only natural to notice that far away tends to indicate a distance much further than as covered by just far, i.e. far + away (more).

As both far and far away imply distance, there are some instances where they can be used interchangeably. However, one must note that far away implies a distance greater than just far. Also, when used in a similar scenario, the sentence structure would change. For example: “The shop is far from my house.” However, it would be incorrect to say “The shop is far away from my house”, instead one would say, “The shop is far away.” When using far away, there is rarely any need to specify an object. Far away usually indicates a distance that cannot be measured, hence you usually do not specify a fixed distance between two exact point. Instead, the implication is open ended.

Comparison between Far and Far Away:

	Far	Far Away
Type	Word	Phrase
Definition (Oxford Dictionaries)	At, to, or by a great distance (used to indicate the extent to which one thing is distant from another) Over a large expanse of space or time By a great deal	At, to, or by a great distance (used to indicate the extent to which one thing is distant from another) Over a large expanse of space or time
Definition (The Free Dictionary)	To, from, or at a considerable distance: a cat that had strayed far from home. To, from, or at a much earlier or later time: a movie that takes place far in the future. To a considerable degree; much: felt far better yesterday; eyes that seemed far too close together. To an advanced point or stage: a brilliant student who will go far. Being at considerable distance; remote: a far country.	Very distant; remote.
Usage	To indicate that something in a distant location Can be used to indicate distance covered and time.	To indicate that something is further away from you than just far. It indicates a distance that is further away than just far.