Last / Latter

Use latter to refer to the second of two persons or things that have been mentioned. When more than two have been mentioned, use last. For example:

1. He preferred oranges to apples, because the latter were not as juicy.
2. He saw Leathal Weapon 1, 2, and 3 and liked the last one most.

1. She watched all the Harry Potter movies and like the last one least.
2. Mary is friends with Kerry and Kim. The former is her cousin, while the latter is her sister-in-law.
3. Of apples, oranges, and grapes, the last is my favorite.
4. There are two color options, red and black: the latter is much more popular.
5. I take flute, violin, and piano lessons. I like the last one most.
6. Maria speaks Spanish and English. She’s still perfecting the latter.
7. I’ve read books by Shakespeare, Poe, and Tennyson. Of the three, the last bores me most.
8. Henry was given the option to have vanilla or chocolate ice cream. He chose the latter.

Decide whether you have to use last or latter:

1. Jack, Jill and Bob went up the hill; the _______ watched the other two fall down.
2. The former half of the film is more interesting than the _______ half.
3. Out of chapters 1, 2, and 3, the _______ one is the most difficult to learn.
4. Dan is now friends with Ruth, Maya and Ben. The _______ is his cousin.
5. Jane speaks Italian and English : the former language fairly well and the _______ fluently.
6. There are two versions, A and B, but the _______ is more popular.
7. Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the _______ is remembered today.
8. I study math, English and history. I enjoy the _______ one most.

Answers:

1. last
2. latter
3. last
4. last
5. latter
6. latter
7. latter
8. last