I’m really not a huge grammar nut. I make my share of typos, use of wrong words, and I’m sure my punctuation is sadly lacking at times. Yet, there are at least a few things that just irritate me to no end, and I will put them here. I hope to be constructive, because, well, if it was me on the other side, that’s what I would want from someone. So, here goes:
I think the misuse of the two words, “Then” and “Than”, is one of my biggest pet peeves. It just amazes me that these two words are both just 4 letters long… they aren’t difficult words to learn, even for a grade-schooler… yet, people constantly use them incorrectly. So, I thought, why not explain the difference in these words in a way that might help people know which one to use appropriately.
I’ll start with “Than”, since it’s pretty simple. “Than” is a comparison. It’s used to show there is a difference between two, or more, things or actions. Like, “My house is larger THAN your house”. Or, “I can run faster THAN you”. Or, “I own more cars THAN you do”. So, it’s a pretty simple word, with a pretty simple explanation.
“Then” can be a little more complex to explain, but in the end, it’s really pretty simple as well. Basically, “Then” is a moment in time. It’s used to show when you did something, or when you will do something. Like, “I went to the park, and THEN I went to the store”. Or, “We had a wonderful meal, and THEN we ordered dessert”. Or, “I’ll take a shower, and THEN I will go to work”.
You might notice that you could use the word, “next”, virtually anywhere you use the word, “then”, and also, those two words share 3 of the same letters: t, e, and n. So, if you can remember to substitute the word “next” to see if the sentence still makes sense, that should remind you of the “e” and assure you that you should use the word, “then”.
I hope this is helpful to anyone who has trouble figuring out which of these two words to use.