Wednesday, April 22, 2009

English Lesson #2- Then vs. Than

Ugh! Where did you go to school? I can't believe the severity of this country's bad spelling and abhorable grammar. Today's lesson: then vs. than.

Than: a comparison. 
"Than" is a conjunction- that means it connects/conjoins two phrases or ideas. You can usually use "more" or "less" with this word, or at least the ideas of more and less. 

Then: a description of time.

It's really that simple. I'm not sure how anyone can mess this one up, but I've seen it a lot lately. Here are some examples in case you missed the entire year of 3rd grade:

Than
  • I have more grammar skills than you.
  • The Portland Trail Blazers are better than the Houston Rockets.
Then

Next, afterward
  • First, we will drink liquor, then we will drink beer.
A point in time

  • If you are home by 6:00, I'll call you then.
In addition to
  • On top of being lazy, then there is the issue of not eating right.
Therefore/in that case (often used with "if")
  • If you want to make a good impression, then you'll have to clean up your grammar.
REMEMBER: 
If you are comparing, use "than." Everything else, use "then."



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2 Comments:

At 4:47 PM, April 22, 2009, Blogger heidi said...

don't EVEN get me started... the number of people from my hometown that confuse "your" and "you're"... makes me want to claw their eyes out!

 
At 9:23 PM, April 23, 2009, Blogger Rose City Dweller said...

nicole, you are just freakin' awesome. that is all that i really need to say here.

 

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