This post isn’t the first one where Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm has pointed out that one letter can make all the difference in the meaning of a word. When choosing whether to use “than” or “then” in a sentence, it is easiest to remember that “than” is used to introduce a comparison and “then” relates to time.
Grammar Girl’s “Quick and Dirty Tip” for the usage of “than” versus “then” is to remember that “than” and “comparison” have the letter “a” in them, and “then” and “time” both have the letter “e.”
I use that same trick in Algebra to remember that the abscissa is the X axis while the ordinate is the Y axis. “A” and “X” come before “O” and “Y.”
Hey, whatever works, right?
Using the word “than.”
If you are a conjunctionist, you’ll agree with the sentence, “Once again, the cat proved she’s smarter than I.”
Here, “than” conveys a comparison–specifically, the cat is smarter than the dog.
“Than” is a conjunction most often used with comparatives and words like more, less and fewer. In this case, “smarter” is the comparative.
If you are a prepositionist, you would say the sentence should be written “Once again, the cat proved she’s smarter than me.”
Since the use of “than I” versus “than me” is a “controversy that’s been hotly debated since the eighteenth century”, I’LL NOT EVEN try to tackle it here.
What? It’s better than your Christmas sweater!
The comparison between the chihuahua’s head accessory and your (possibly ugly) Christmas sweater requires the use of the word “than.”
Using the word “then.”
His new girl said she liked pink and then this happened.
“Then” is usually an adverb used with elements of time; for instance, it can mean “next”, “at that time”, “subsequently”, or “afterwards.” In this case, the poor pup is at the mercy of his master who is trying to impress a girl.
First, she said she liked pink and what followed next will scar this poor dog forever.
It was the responsibility of the then head reindeer to lead with maturity.
In this case, “then” is an adjective meaning “at that time.” The (at that time) head reindeer was supposed to lead with maturity, but obviously, failed.
If I had stayed out of the garland, then I wouldn’t be in this predicament.
In some cases, “then” is used in “if…then” sentence constructions, or in cases where it means “as a consequence” or “in that case”, such as this example. As a consequence of playing in the garland, the kitten now sports a gold scarf.
Merry Christmas, y’all! Here’s hoping your Christmas will be better THAN ever before!
Sources:
» Than and then – the difference – Grammar-Monster.com
» Than vs. Then – Grammarist
» “Then” versus “Than” – Grammar Girl
Heather Sanders is a leading homeschooling journalist who inspires homeschooling families to live, love and learn. Married to Jeff, Heather lives in the East Texas Piney Woods where she currently home schools two of her three kids.