Need help with "As Far AS"

Question

According to American Heritage Book of English, as far as cannot be used as prepositions as in the following sentences.

eg. The Yankees are still very much alive, as far as the divisional race.

but we use as far as in our conversation and writing quite frequently such as;

As far as the the divisional race is concerned, The Yankees are still very much alive.

Please can somebody help me with this.

Rvw · Accepted Answer

It seems to me that the ellipsis in these constructions is no worse than that in other "acceptable" constructions. Webster's Dictionary of English Usage likewise seems to find no good reason for its censure.

And why do they [language commentators] condemn it? As is so often the case, many do not give a reason. Fowler did so [condemned it] perhaps partly because of novelty; but both he and others have probably been affected by their frustrated expectation of the formulaic verb goes or is concerned.

They also note that as far as, followed by a noun phrase, does not have to be viewed as a preposition. (The novelty of making as far as a preposition may bother some commentators.)

The second prepositional use -- the one that Fowler condemns -- can also be seen from a different angle as the conjunction as far as used to introduce an elliptical clause, one from which the verb (such as goes or is concerned) has been omitted.

Webster's says that almost all commentators condemn the usage you described, but without very good reason. As far as actual usage is concerned:

There can be no question, after more than three quarters of a century, that prepositional as far as is established in speech.... Reference books have been slow to catch up in this instance. But speech and reports of speech aside, the expression has made little inroad into ordinary prose. Our most recent evidence shows it still primarily a speech form.

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