What a difference one letter can make. Than and then look and sound almost exactly the same, so it’s easy to get them confused. However, even though they look similar, they have very different meanings and uses. Are you ready to have the than vs. then question settled, once and for all? All right then! Let’s get started.
Here are the basics:
Than is a conjunction (or sometimes a preposition) that links two things being compared.
Then is an adverb (or, less often, a noun or adjective) that means “at that time” or “next in the sequence.”
Turns out those basics aren’t so basic, right?
Here is then as an adverb meaning “at that time”:
Here is then as an adverb meaning “next in the sequence”:
Then is also the second half of a very useful pair: if…then. In this construction, then means something like “accordingly” or “as a result.”
Then can also be a noun meaning “that time.” You usually find it following prepositions.
The last use of then is as an adjective meaning “at that time.”
Than is either a conjunction or a preposition, and it introduces the second part of a comparison.
Because than is both a conjunction and a preposition, what follows it can be its own sentence OR the object of the preposition.
A: She is taller than I.
B: She is taller than me.
Surprise! BOTH are correct. In the first sentence, than is a conjunction, and the writer has omitted the verb at the end because it’s implied: She is taller than I am. In the second sentence, than is a preposition, and when pronouns follow a preposition, they must be in object form (me, you, him, her, us, you, them).
So as you can see, than vs. then really isn’t hard to master. Just remember, than introduces the second part of a pair that is being compared, and then refers to when things happen in time.
I hope your grammar is better now than it was before. If you have more questions, then you can always contact us here at Elite. We love to help writers get it right.
If you like this post, check out this article about stationery vs. stationary.
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