ENGLISH
REFERENCE

far from doing sth

prep. phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. you use this to say that the opposite of something is actually true.

prep. phr.. a complex prepositional construction used to introduce a contrast, indicating that the reality is the reverse of what might be expected or suggested.


SIMPLE

Far from being angry, she was actually quite happy.

CONTEXTUAL

Far from solving the problem, the new law actually made things much worse for the local businesses.

COMPLEX

Far from discouraging the young artist, the initial rejection served only to strengthen her resolve to succeed in the competitive gallery scene.

Usage

the 'doing' part must be a gerund (-ing form) and is often followed by a comma and a main clause.

Teaching tip

this structure functions as a more sophisticated alternative to 'instead of' or 'not only... but also' when emphasizing a complete reversal of expectations.

Pitfall

Far from be tired, he went for a run.Far from being tired, he went for a run.the preposition 'from' must be followed by a gerund (-ing) rather than the base form of the verb.

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