What is it with spelling and grammar these days? Do we blame the public school system for its failure to teach basic English writing skills? Or do we blame the students for not listening and learning, or maybe even doing some extra reading?
For a long time, I've seen mistakes such as confusing your/you're, there/their/they're, and so on. These are almost forgivable given that the English language is complex ("your" being the possessive form of "you", and "you're" being a contraction for "you are"). The same is true with their/they're, but "there" is a completely different word, not related to the other two.
And now, lately I've been seeing A LOT of confusing THEN and THAN.
Dictionary.com defines "then" as:
1. at that time: Prices were lower then.
2. immediately or soon afterward: The rain stopped and then started again.
3. next in order of time: We ate, then we started home.
4. at the same time: At first the water seemed blue, then gray.
5. next in order of place: Standing beside Charlie is my uncle, then my cousin, then my brother.
Also is used in an "If, then" type statement such as: "If I don't pay attention in school, then I will be stupid."
Dictionary.com defines "than" as:
conjunction
1. (used, as after comparative adjectives and adverbs, to introduce the second member of an unequal comparison): She's taller than I am.
2. (used after some adverbs and adjectives expressing choice or diversity, such as other, otherwise, else, anywhere, or different, to introduce an alternative or denote a difference in kind, place, style, identity, etc.): I had no choice other than that. You won't find such freedom anywhere else than in this country.
3. (used to introduce the rejected choice in expressions of preference): I'd rather walk than drive there.
4. except; other than: We had no choice than to return home.
5. when: We had barely arrived than we had to leave again.
preposition
6. in relation to; by comparison with (usually followed by a pronoun in the objective case): He is a person than whom I can imagine no one more courteous.
So in summation, "then" is usually a reference of time or order, and "than" is usually used in comparison.
Its really not that hard, and you look like a total moron when you confuse it. The worst part is most people probably don't notice or know better themselves.
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Originally Posted by TDNY
