Monday 2 June 2014

Tips to Understand the Difference between Then And Than

In the English language one of the most similar sounding but with different meaning are the words then and than. They are confusing to many, but are grammatically different parts of speech. They sound the same while speaking in English due to their similarity in pronunciation. It is important to know the difference between these two words as it will enhance the quality of an individual’s English writing skills and also will make their reading powers strong. Let’s have a thorough knowledge on the difference between then and than and the meaning of these two parts of speech.

Then is an adverb, and its function is to modify a part of speech or a clause. Its main purpose is to join two clauses which are separated by different time as a conjunctive adverb. So it functionally acts as the part or unit of time in the sentence as if telling about when things happened or is about to happen. For example; “please eat your meal and then watch television”

On the other hand “than” is a conjunction, which means it is the used to join two different clauses, or rather it creates a bond or relationship between them. So it is clarified that it is a comparative conjunction, for example; “Sam is brighter than his brother John”. It is also further been classified to subordinate conjunction. So whenever someone is comparing two things to complete the sentence they have to use this word which will give a binding of the sentence and also perform its work of comparing.


Therefore, it is very important that when somebody is constructing a sentence and is trying to figure out which of these words to use, then they may first try to understand themselves what they want to convey through the sentence. If the sentence is for comparing “then” the word “than” will fit the best and if it is describing the time about an incident which happened, then is a better choice.

Both these words are very subtle and simple, and the differences are very clear and easy, but to use them in a correct manner it is important to know its different meanings and the usage techniques. If you can master them well, then you can have a very strong hold by having a very clear, effective and professional communication skill. Also the difference between these two words is very easy to remember all through.

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