WHEN TO USE THEN & THAN
People frequently trip over then and than, and why shouldn’t they? Since they are so similar in appearance and pronunciation and because both words are linguistic workhorses—then is typically an adverb, while than is typically a conjunction—we typically employ them to join nouns, verbs, and adjectives that are more obviously significant.
The terms then and than rank in the top 100 most used words in English. No wonder they are usually misused because they are somewhat common in spelling. Keep in mind that then and than are homophones which means that they sound alike but have different meanings.
Keeping the pair straight requires focusing on one basic distinction: than is used when we talk about comparisons while then is used when we talk about time.
When to use than?
Than is a conjunction which is normally used to introduce a comparison. It’s the word that follows smaller, smoother, bigger, fewer, less, older, younger, thus it becomes smaller than, smoother than, bigger than, fewer than, less than, older than, and younger than.
The use of than is highly detailed and it is quite challenging to substitute another word for it in a phrase without altering the meaning.
As we think about how we abbreviate this sentence, He likes bagels more than I or He likes bagels more than me, things get a little risky.
Than is a conjunction, according to traditionalists, and the pronoun in the subordinate phrase should be in the subjective case (I, he, she, we, they): He likes bagels more than I. The sentence structure becomes more effective and accurately to the reader and can finish the sentence in his or her mind. However, than is often used as a preposition in informal communication. The pronouns in the second sentence are in the objective case (me, him, her, them): He likes bagels more than me.
The best bet is to use than I (or than she, then he, then they, than we) in formal speeches and professional settings while than me (along with than him, than her, then them, than us) for informal communication. In this way, you can avoid confusion.
Examples of than in sentences:
- I am older than my sister
- Paris is further away than Vatican.
- Carrots are healthier than junk foods.
- The Eiffel Tower is more iconic than the Empire State Building.
Than is not easily irreplaceable in a sentence but it can be used in sentences that don’t make direct comparisons. But in the examples given below, then can be replaced in the sentence:
- Instead of saying, “You can’t drink if you’re younger than 18”, you can say “You can’t drink if you’re under 18”.
- Instead of saying, “Miriam is older than you”, you can say “Miriam is over 40”.
When to use then?
The word then is used after terms like since and until as well as the phrases back then and just then when time is involved. Also, it appears in the phrases and then some, every now and then, and even then.
Then often modifies other adverbs, adjectives, and verbs, and it typically has a relationship with time.
Then can be used in place of “at that time” in a phrase and still make sense grammatically:
- You need to apologize first, and then you can come back in.
- You need to apologize first, and at that time you can come back in.
Subsequently or afterwards. These expressions are used to indicate something that follows another promptly, either chronologically or in terms of order:
- Go up the stairs, then turn right.
- It was pitch black, then a light shone in the distance.
At that particular time, an expression used to indicate the past.
- I was very pretty then.
- We lived in Philadelphia then, before the kids were born.
In the given examples, then is used to express a specific time (future).
- Steven will drive to the game at 10am, if he can get everything prepared before then.
- But by then, he may be exhausted.
As a consequence:
- The police man pulled us over for speeding, then we got a ticket.
- If you had kept your mouth shut, then we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Then vs. Than: Remembering the Difference
Focusing on the various letters – “a” and “e” – can help you remember the difference between than and then. Than is employed as a measure of comparison, and both than and comparison has letter “a” in their spellings. The word then is used to refer to time, and both words share the letter “e” in their spellings.
