The words than and then sound almost the same and can be easily confused with each other; however, it’s important to know which word to use in a particular writing situation since the words than and then perform different functions in a sentence.

In most cases, than is used as a conjunction or as a preposition (primarily in speech rather than in writing) to compare two items or two amounts that are unequal or different.

EX: It was windier today than it was yesterday. (conjunction)

EX: We didn’t go fishing because the rough water looked as if it was more than the boat could handle. (conjunction)

EX: Bill is older than me. (preposition)  This use is informal.  The formal way to express this thought would be "Bill is older than I am."

Then is most often used as an adverb that tells what will happen next in time, space or order.

EX: First clean the table, and then we can sit down and eat.

EX: The movie will be released on video next week, so let’s watch the movie then.

This week we recommend visiting the Towson University Online Writing Support Website. In addition to useful tips regarding other commonly confused words, this website also offers visitors a chance to practice using these tricky words in quick online exercises.

Test your understanding by choosing the correct word to complete the following sentences:

1. The computer that is advertised in the newspaper ad has already been on sale for more (than/then) two weeks.

2. Honda cars seem to have a better resale value (than/then) other import cars.

3. If we stay the night in Albuquerque, (than/then) we can get an early start for Los Angeles in the morning.

4. Other (than/then) being detained by a traffic jam that lasted three hours, I had a great day.

5. (Than/Then) again, I would rather go shopping today (than/then) next week.

Answers

1. The computer that is advertised in the newspaper ad has already been on sale for more than two weeks.

2. Honda cars seem to have a better resale value than other import cars.

3. If we stay the night in Albuquerque, then we can get an early start for Los Angeles in the morning.

4. Other than being detained by a traffic jam that lasted three hours, I had a great day.

5. Then again, I would rather go shopping today than next week.

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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