Then and than, a grammatical gripe
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:42 am
Yes, I'm a bit of a grammar Nazi, no I'm not ashamed. Anyhoo, on to the point
Then and than
These two words are amongst the most abused in the English language. Often people use one when they mean the other, this problem is rife across the English speaking web world, so I thought I'd write about it here and see if we can't save these poor words
THEN
Then can be used in a number of ways. Typically it is used to refer to the next entity or step in a sequence e.g.
First I got a headache, then my head exploded.
Or it can be used to stipulate a condition
You don't want your head to explode? Then don't get a head ache!
THAN
Than is used for a comparison:
My head is bigger than yours.
So:
If I get a headache, then my head will explode. But if my head is bigger than yours then that means the explosion must also be bigger than yours.
Fellow grammar Nazi's may now begin dissecting my post for my own spelling and grammar mistakes
Then and than
These two words are amongst the most abused in the English language. Often people use one when they mean the other, this problem is rife across the English speaking web world, so I thought I'd write about it here and see if we can't save these poor words
THEN
Then can be used in a number of ways. Typically it is used to refer to the next entity or step in a sequence e.g.
First I got a headache, then my head exploded.
Or it can be used to stipulate a condition
You don't want your head to explode? Then don't get a head ache!
THAN
Than is used for a comparison:
My head is bigger than yours.
So:
If I get a headache, then my head will explode. But if my head is bigger than yours then that means the explosion must also be bigger than yours.
Fellow grammar Nazi's may now begin dissecting my post for my own spelling and grammar mistakes