Ever been deep in a long email or a dense textbook and hit a sentence that mentions "the former"? It’s a total speed bump. You stop. You blink. Then, you find yourself scanning backward three sentences just to figure out what the writer was actually talking about. Honestly, it’s one of those English phrases that everyone pretends to understand perfectly, but in reality, half of us are just guessing based on the context.
Basically, "the former" is a pointer. It’s a linguistic shortcut used to refer back to the first of two things previously mentioned. If I say I love coffee and tea, but "the former" gives me jitters, I'm talking about the coffee. It's simple on paper. In practice? It’s a bit of a minefield for clarity.
What Does The Former Mean in Plain English?
To get technical for a second, "the former" functions as an anaphoric reference. That’s just a fancy way of saying it’s a word that points to a previous word. It only works if you have a pair. You need two distinct items, people, or ideas. If you list three things and use "the former," you’ve officially broken the sentence. People will be confused. They won't know if you mean the first item or the first two. It’s a mess.
Let's look at a real-world example from history. In many legal documents or old-school political treaties, you'll see references to "the former" and "the latter." Take a hypothetical diplomatic agreement between France and England. If the text says, "Both nations agreed to a ceasefire, though the former insisted on a maritime boundary," the reader knows immediately—assuming they’re paying attention—that France is the one making the boundary demand.
Why do we do this? Efficiency. Sorta. It prevents us from repeating the same noun over and over again, which can make writing feel clunky and repetitive. But there's a catch. If the "former" item was mentioned too far back, the reader loses the thread. Expert grammarians like Bryan Garner, author of Garner's Modern English Usage, often suggest that if you have to look back more than a few words, you should probably just repeat the noun.
The Rule of Two
This is the non-negotiable part. You cannot use "the former" if you’ve listed:
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- Red
- Blue
- Green
If you say "the former" there, you're in trouble. Does it mean red? Does it mean red and blue? Nobody knows. In that scenario, you’d need to use "the first" or "the first-mentioned." It seems like a small distinction, but it’s the difference between a professional-sounding email and a confusing one.
Former vs. Latter: The Dynamic Duo
You can't really talk about what "the former" means without bringing up its partner in crime: "the latter." They are the Batman and Robin of sentence structure. While the former refers to the first item, the latter refers to the second.
Think about a classic choice. Do you want a million dollars or eternal youth? If you choose the former, you’re rich but aging. If you choose the latter, you’re young but potentially broke.
Most people trip up because they mix the order. It’s a spatial thing. "Former" starts with 'F' like 'First.' "Latter" starts with 'L' like 'Last.' That’s the easiest mental trick to keep them straight. I’ve seen CEOs and high-level academics get these swapped in high-stakes reports. It happens to the best of us.
Why Context Is Everything
Sometimes, the former doesn't refer to a noun at all. It can refer to a whole concept or a clause. This is where things get tricky.
"He considered moving to Chicago or staying in New York; the former offered a lower cost of living."
Here, "the former" is doing heavy lifting. It’s representing the entire idea of "moving to Chicago." If you're writing like this, you have to be 100% sure your reader is following your logic. If the sentence before it was five lines long and filled with adjectives, "the former" becomes a riddle rather than a clarification.
Common Mistakes That Make You Look Silly
We’ve all done it. You’re trying to sound smart, so you throw in a "the former." But then you realize you only mentioned one thing. Or you mentioned four.
One of the biggest blunders is using "the former" when there is no "latter." It’s like a see-saw. You need both sides for it to work. If you only have one subject, just use "it" or "this."
Another one? Using "the former" to refer to someone’s previous job title.
"The former president."
That’s a totally different use of the word. In that context, "former" is an adjective meaning "previous" or "past." It’s not a pointer to a list. This double meaning is why English is such a nightmare to learn for non-native speakers. You have the same word doing two very different jobs depending on whether there's a "the" in front of it and where it sits in the sentence.
Does Anyone Actually Talk Like This?
Honestly? Not really. In casual conversation, if you say "I like pizza and tacos, but I prefer the former," people might look at you like you’re wearing a monocle. It sounds stiff. It sounds like you’re reading from a 19th-century novel.
In spoken English, we almost always just repeat the word.
"I like pizza and tacos, but I like pizza more."
It’s faster. It’s clearer.
However, in professional writing, legal briefs, and academic journals, "the former" is alive and well. It provides a level of precision that "it" or "they" sometimes lacks. It’s especially useful when you’re comparing two complex theories. Instead of writing "The Theory of General Relativity" six times in one paragraph, you can use "the former" to keep the flow moving.
How to Use "The Former" Without Annoying Your Reader
If you're going to use it, do it right. Here's a quick checklist for your next draft:
- Check the count. Did you mention exactly two things? If it’s one or three, delete "the former" immediately.
- Check the distance. Is the first item in the same sentence or the one right before it? If it’s further away, your reader has already forgotten it.
- Check the flow. Read the sentence out loud. Does it sound natural or like you’re trying too hard?
- Consider the "The." Remember that "former" (no 'the') usually means "past," while "the former" refers to the first of two.
Better Alternatives for 2026
We live in an era of short attention spans. People skim. They read on phones while walking to the subway. In this environment, "the former" can be a liability.
If you want to be clear, just repeat the noun. It feels redundant to you as the writer, but for the reader, it’s a gift. It saves them the cognitive load of having to play detective.
Alternatively, use "this" or "that" if the reference is extremely obvious.
"Should we invest in Bitcoin or Gold? Gold is safer."
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See? No "former" needed. It’s punchy. It’s direct.
Actionable Steps for Clearer Writing
To master this, you need to treat "the former" as a tool, not a crutch. It’s for when you have two balanced ideas that are being compared directly.
- Audit your current drafts. Search for the word "former." See if you’re using it as an adjective (the former CEO) or a pointer (the former of the two). If it’s a pointer, make sure there’s a clear "latter" nearby.
- Practice the "Switch Test." If you replaced "the former" with the actual name of the thing, does the sentence become much easier to read? If the answer is yes, keep the name.
- Use it for contrast. Use "the former" when you are highlighting a sharp difference between two items. It creates a linguistic "either/or" feel that helps the reader categorize information.
- Watch your pronouns. Don’t use "the former" and then follow it up with "it" in the next breath. It gets confusing. Pick a way to refer to your subject and stick with it for that paragraph.
English is evolving. We're moving away from the dense, Latin-influenced structures of the past and toward a more "plain language" approach. Understanding what "the former" means is essential for reading comprehension, but knowing when not to use it is the hallmark of a truly great communicator. Use it sparingly, use it accurately, and always prioritize the reader’s ease over your own desire to sound sophisticated.