The difference between “then” and “than” is often confused due to their similar sounds, but they are different parts of speech. “Than” is a subordinating conjunction used for comparisons, while “then” is an adverb used for indicating time. Remembering their functions is important for clear communication in writing.
The difference between “then” and “than” is quite simple, but many people, including experienced English speakers, have difficulty with these two words. In fact, the two words are totally different parts of speech, used in completely different ways; the confusion is probably related to the fact that they sound very similar in spoken English, making it difficult to tell which word is being used. Knowing the difference between them will greatly improve the readability and quality of an individual’s written English.
The word “than” is a conjunction, which means it connects two clauses. This word is further classified as a subordinating conjunction, which means that it establishes some sort of relationship between two clauses – in this case, the relationship is comparative. For example, someone might say that “this apple is bigger than the one I ate last night” or “Was the sequel better or worse than the first movie?” Whenever a person compares two things, “of” is the appropriate word to use.
On the other hand, “then” is an adverb, in the sense that it modifies a part of speech or a clause. Specifically, it is used as a subjunctive adverb to join two clauses separated by time; “then” acts as a unit of time in a sentence, indicating when something happened (or is about to happen). For example, you might say “He went to the store and then stopped at the park” or “Please do your homework and then you can watch television.” In both of these sentences, the word could be replaced by “after that” and the sentences would make sense.
When someone looks at a sentence and tries to figure out which word is appropriate, they should think about what they are trying to convey with the sentence. If he’s comparing something, he’ll want to use “than,” while if he’s discussing when something happened, “then” is more appropriate. You could use the simple trick of remembering that “then” rhymes with “when” or use the “after that” trick, replacing the word in question with “after that” and see if the sentence still makes sense. Using examples from above, “The apple is bigger after the one I ate last night” is rather absurd, while “Please do your homework and you can watch television later” works as a sentence.
The difference between these two words is far from subtle and mastering it is crucial for people who want to communicate clearly, effectively and professionally. Fortunately, unlike the difference between “effect” and “affect,” the difference between “then” and “that” is fairly easy to remember, making it easy to use these words correctly.
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