"Former/latter" for sequences of more than two items?

It's one of those things in English - it's kind of "yes," but mostly "no."

In their classical use, "the former/ the latter" refer to the first and the last of the two mentioned items in a sentence. For example, "I teach IELTS writing and creative writing. The latter is my favorite type of writing." (The latter = creative writing.)

However, you might see examples in which these words are used with sequences of items greater than two in number. For example, "I teach IELTS writing, C2 Proficiency writing, and creative writing. The latter is my favorite type of writing." (The latter = creative writing.)

Still, most style guides recommend (and so do I) sticking to the classical use and avoiding using "former/latter" for groups of more than two items.

What should you use with sequences of three or more then? Phrases like: the first group, the last mentioned course, etc.

📝 Here is a nice article about that: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/former-and-latter-usage

Btw, the examples above about my favorite type of writing are just technical examples. I love all the types of writing I teach. 💜