The Difference Between Than and Then
By 6precious102
@6precious102 (4043)
United States
February 15, 2012 1:23pm CST
Is grammar not taught in school any longer? Why, all of a sudden, have people started using than for then and then for than? If your grammar teachers haven't taught you the difference, let me.
From the "St. Martin's Handbook"
than, then - Use the conjunction than in comparative statements. The cat was bigger than the dog. Use the adverb then when referring to a sequence of events or emotions. Jim finished college, and then he joined the Peace Corps.
than (as compared with)
then (at that time; therefore)
Also, why do so many use the nominative pronoun after a preposition?
From the "St. Martin's Handbook" - A pronoun should be in the subjective (nominative) case when it is a subject or a clause, a subject complement, or an appositive renaming a subject or subject complement.
A pronoun should be in the objective case when it functions as a direct or indirect object (of a verb or verbal), a subject of an infinitive, an object of a preposition, or an appositive renaming an object.
I realize the misuse of the nominative pronoun has been going strong for a number of years now, but I really wish people would stop saying, "for I, with I, to I," and any other prepositions you can think of.
When I hear people using the nominative pronoun incorrectly, I think they are trying to sound uppity, but they just sound stupid.
1 person likes this
12 responses
@jujunme (2501)
• United States
15 Feb 12
Not to be rude,but,to post this discussion on Mylot where English is not the native language of many people here is,IMO very inappropriate.
Also, you sound as if you're scolding others rather than trying to help them and this is never a good idea especially on a public forum.i just don't understand why you felt the need to post this type of discussion here and why someones lack of using the English language properly should irk you so much.
1 person likes this
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
15 Feb 12
jujunme: I'm sorry if this discussion offends you or anyone. My goal was to educate.
I'm not bothered by those whose first language is something other than English, but it does irked me when those of us who have been brought up speaking English use it incorrectly because proper grammar should be taught in school and it doesn't seem to be.
If you're paying money to have your children educated, don't you think they should be taught the proper use of the English language?
@jujunme (2501)
• United States
16 Feb 12
it doesn't offend me personally since i feel i have a good grasp of the English language My objection is not so much the discussion itself,as it is to "where" you posted it.
There are many people here who not only lack proper English grammar but,are not proficient in the language at all.Also, even those who are,can become offended when anyone attempts to correct them in a scolding manner, which i feel the post portrayed.
IMO,it is entirely up to educators and parents to teach their children proper English grammar and if they're not,then the fault lies with them and not the student.
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
20 Feb 12
Thank you for post that website. Affect and effect are two of the words with which I have the most trouble?
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
16 Feb 12
Your welcome. I hope others feel the same way about it.
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
20 Feb 12
I just noticed, I used the wrong word. I should have said, you're which is the contraction of you are instead of the possessive your. Mistakes are easy to make and easy to miss.
@pedroxpto (41)
• Portugal
18 Feb 12
good information. I always had doubts about it, but now i'm better informed
@TheShadowXX (100)
• United States
18 Feb 12
lol agreed. I hate when people mess up then/than there/their/they're. But to be honest the English language is a pretty difficult one so I can see how people would make mistakes like these.
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
19 Feb 12
You're right, English is difficult. However, those of us who have grow up speaking English and going to school in English speaking countries should have been taught how to use it properly.
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
17 Feb 12
I'm with you on this problem. Grammatical errors offend me, too. I usually tell myself that the writer's primary language is not English an try to forget about it.
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
17 Feb 12
English is not an easy language to learn, so I hope I'm tolerant with those whose first language is something else. My problem is with those who should have been taught English grammar in school, but they either weren't listening or weren't taught.
@SpikeTheLobster (6403)
•
15 Feb 12
Common confusions. You'll find them everywhere: than/then, your/you're, their/there/they're, its/it's. I can understand how people get confused (since the words in each group sound the same) but it drives me nuts when they use the wrong one, too. 
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
15 Feb 12
You're right. There have been many times when I've used there/their/they're and your/you're incorrectly. I know the correct usage of each, but sometimes I get in too much of a hurry and fail to proofread my remarks before posting them.
@maezee (41988)
• United States
15 Feb 12
It kind of gets on my nerves a little bit when I see people type "than" in a way that it just doesn't make sense. When it's comparative, I know you use THAN. I know you use THEN, as in saying, therefore, or afterwards, or whatever. "I am better THAN you". "You can leave first, THEN I will leave" etc. But I try not to let it get to me because for a lot of people, spelling/grammar mistakes like this are not something they notice they are doing!
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
15 Feb 12
Perhaps I shouldn't let it bother me, but, like bestboy said above, for me it's like nails across a chalkboard.
I wish I could be like you.
@bounce58 (17385)
• Canada
15 Feb 12
Although my background is Engineering, I'm actually a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to grammar and writing. I've had wonderful and strict teachers while growing up. They've helped me to understand common confusions like these, and they've taught me well on how to use the correct words.
Although I understand people when they mix up THAN and THEN, it bugs me a little because I know that this wouldn't go so well with my teachers.
Anyway, even though I'm not perfect (as my mistakes often too), I always try not to make these mistakes.
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
16 Feb 12
You were fortunate to have such good teachers. While my grammar teachers in school were good, my real grammar education came from my mother. As a matter of fact, I still go to my mother to correct my grammar and spelling.
@chipesterkhan (2925)
• Philippines
16 Feb 12
than is for comparison
then is to denote time
simple
:D i was wondering when someone would comment about grammar
everyone has at one point in their lives committed a serious grammatical error. We all just have to learn from our mistakes :D
and as you can see i barely use punctuation marks
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
16 Feb 12
I realize people make mistakes, but sometimes mistakes become habits. For example, we use to say, "I couldn't care less," now people are saying, "I could care less."
@srfrgrl3389 (12)
• United States
18 Feb 12
Grammar mistakes are one of my biggest pet peeves, but the misuse of your/you're is the most annoying...I understand that in text messages, e-mails, etc. between friends it shouldn't be a big deal, but it gets on my nerves and I wish people would proofread more often and thoroughly.
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
19 Feb 12
One of my pet peeves is incomplete sentences which seem to be all the rage in novels these days. Not only are periods being used before the thought has been completed, the completion of the thought is very often continued in the next paragraph. It's no wonder our educational system is a laughing stock to the rest of the world.
