Former and latter are useful words for referring back to two things that were just mentioned.
Former means the first of the two. Latter means the second of the two.
- Tea and coffee were offered. I chose the former. (tea)
- Rain and snow are possible. The latter is less likely. (snow)
These words are most natural when you are talking about exactly two items. If you mention more than two, former and latter can confuse readers, because it may not be clear which item you mean.
They are also more common in formal or careful writing than in everyday conversation. In casual speech, people often repeat the noun instead: I chose tea or Snow is less likely.
Use them when the reference is clear and close by. If the sentence starts to feel hard to follow, repeating the original word is often the better choice.
