Addressing Asyrafuddin, the judge said he hoped the latter had learnt his lesson and would be able to stay drug-free after his release.
Why is “the latter” used? Should it be “the former” instead?
Thanks.
1 Like
There is no way to know without knowing the context and what came before. “The latter” normally means the second of two that were previously mentioned.
2 Likes
I looked up the context and there is no mention of another person, so neither “latter” or “former” seems correct.
Addressing Asyrafuddin, the judge said he hoped [that] he had learnt his lesson and would be able to stay drug-free after his release.
2 Likes
Look at the sentence now: The judge, addressing Asyrafuddin, said he hoped the latter had learnt his lesson and would be able to stay drug-free after his release.
2 Likes