definitions to help

then Audio pronunciation of "then" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (thn)
adv.

1. At that time: I was still in school then. Come at noon; I'll be ready then.
2. Next in time, space, or order; immediately afterward: watched the late movie and then went to bed.
3. In addition; moreover; besides: It costs $20, and then there's the sales tax to pay.
4. Used after but to qualify or balance a preceding statement: The star was nervous, but then who isn't on the first night of a new play.
5. In that case; accordingly: If traffic is heavy, then allow extra time.
6. As a consequence; therefore: The case, then, is closed.


n.

That time or moment: The bus leaves at four; until then let's walk.


adj.

Being so at that time: the then chairman of the board.


Idiom:
then again

From another standpoint; on the other hand: I need a vacation. Then again, so do my coworkers.


[Middle English, from Old English thenne. See to- in Indo-European Roots.]




then

adj : at a specific prior time; "the then president" [syn: then(a)] n : that time; that moment; "we will arrive before then"; "we were friends from then on" adv 1: subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors); "then he left"; "go left first, then right"; "first came lightning, then thunder"; "we watched the late movie and then went to bed"; "and so home and to bed" [syn: so, and so, and then] 2: in that case or as a consequence; "if he didn't take it, then who did?"; "keep it then if you want to"; "the case, then, is closed"; "you've made up your mind then?"; "then you'll be rich" 3: at that time; "I was young then"; "prices were lower back then"; "science as it was then taught"

Click to expand...

than Audio pronunciation of "than" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (thn, thn)
conj.

1. Used after a comparative adjective or adverb to introduce the second element or clause of an unequal comparison: She is a better athlete than I.
2. Used to introduce the second element after certain words indicating difference: He draws quite differently than she does.
3. When. Used especially after hardly and scarcely: I had scarcely walked in the door than the commotion started.


prep. Usage Problem

In comparison or contrast with: could run faster than him; outclassed everyone other than her.


[Middle English, from Old English thanne, than. See to- in Indo-European Roots.]

Usage Note: Since the 18th century grammarians have insisted that than should be regarded as a conjunction in all its uses, so that a sentence such as Bill is taller than Tom should be construed as an elliptical version of the sentence Bill is taller than Tom is. According to this view, the case of a pronoun following than is determined by whether the pronoun serves as the subject or object of the verb that is “understood.” Thus, the standard rule requires Pat is taller than I (not me) on the assumption that this sentence is elliptical for Pat is taller than I am but allows The news surprised Pat more than me, since this sentence is taken as elliptical for The news surprised Pat more than it surprised me. However, than is quite commonly treated as a preposition when followed by an isolated noun phrase, and as such occurs with a pronoun in the objective case: John is taller than me. Though this usage is still widely regarded as incorrect, it is predominant in speech and has reputable literary precedent, appearing in the writing of such respected authors as Shakespeare, Johnson, Swift, Scott, and Faulkner. It is also consistent with the fact that than is clearly treated as a preposition in the than whom construction, as in a poet than whom (not than who) no one has a dearer place in the hearts of his countrymen. Still, the writer who risks a sentence like Mary is taller than him in formal writing must be prepared to defend the usage against objections of critics who are unlikely to be dissuaded from the conviction that the usage is incorrect. ·Comparatives using as... as can be analyzed as parallel to those using than. Traditional grammarians insist that I am not as tall as he is the only correct form; in formal writing, one should adhere to this rule. However, one can cite both literary precedent and syntactic arguments in favor of analyzing the second as as a preposition (which would allow constructions such as I am not as tall as him). See Usage Note at as1.


than

see actions speak louder than words; bark is worse than one's bite; better late than never; better safe than sorry; better than; bite off more than one can chew; blood is thicker than water; easier said than done; eyes are bigger than one's stomach; in (less than) no time; irons in the fire, more than one; less than; more dead than alive; more fun than a barrel of monkeys; more in sorrow than in anger; more often than not; more sinned against than sinning; more than meets the eye; more than one bargained for; more than one can shake a stick at; more than one way to skin a cat; none other than; no sooner said than done; other than; quicker than you can say Jack Robinson; wear another (more than one) hat.

Click to expand...

wildsweetone said:

here's something for people who have trouble with the words 'then' and 'than'
from Dictionary.com


then:




than:



hope that helps

Click to expand...

FriskyVagina said:

I cringe when then and than are misused.
I shudder (not shutter) when someone writes, "I would of come over last night, but I got lost." Of is not a replacement for have!

It's been years since the fat cat last saw its paws.

It's=it is

Click to expand...

Angeline said:

And "hopefully" instead of "I'm hoping that."

Click to expand...

Tzara said:

From Merriam-Webster:

hopefully
One entry found for hopefully.


Main Entry: hope·ful·ly
Pronunciation: 'hOp-f&-lE
Function: adverb
1 : in a hopeful manner
2 : it is hoped : I hope : we hope
usage In the early 1960s the second sense of hopefully, which had been in sporadic use since around 1932, underwent a surge of popular use. A surge of popular criticism followed in reaction, but the criticism took no account of the grammar of adverbs. Hopefully in its second sense is a member of a class of adverbs known as disjuncts. Disjuncts serve as a means by which the author or speaker can comment directly to the reader or hearer usually on the content of the sentence to which they are attached. Many other adverbs (as interestingly, frankly, clearly, luckily, unfortunately) are similarly used; most are so ordinary as to excite no comment or interest whatsoever. The second sense of hopefully is entirely standard.

I agree about the others. Also, people using apostrophes when none are required (e.g., there is no possessive).

Click to expand...

My Erotic Trail said:

hey teach...

what about its and it's
when does the ( ' ) go into the word? <grin

Click to expand...

wildsweetone said:

It's = the contraction (with the apostrophe mark):

It's getting hot! = It is getting hot.

or

It's been a hot day. = It has been a hot day. (as in the beginning of Frisky's example).​

Its = the possession (no apostrophe mark):

Its is the possessive form of it - i.e. something that belongs to it.

Those are its wheels. = The wheels belong to it (the car).




The example for possession from dictionary.com:

The airline canceled its early flight to New York. = the early flight belongs to the airline.​

Click to expand...

Angeline said:

Anyone who is willing to make a small purchase that will repay itself many times over should invest in a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White. It was first published in 1959 and has sold millions of copies since. Its advice on the basic principles of composition and style and its compendium of commonly misused words and expressions are an invaluable resource. You don't even have to pay full price for it--you can find used copies of it in most secondhand bookshops.


http://products.priceclash.co.uk/images/nodrop/180/020530902X/books/the-elements-of-style-fourth-edition.jpg

Click to expand...

champagne1982 said:

There is a link to a free, online version of Strunk's Style, not to mention a few others, in the Writer's Resources section on the index page.

Click to expand...

wildsweetone said:

to, too, and two



I am going to the bedroom. - direction

You are going to the bedroom too. - also

The two of us are going to the bedroom. - number

Click to expand...

TheRainMan said:

. . .


thanks, kiwi. lol.

...

Click to expand...

My Erotic Trail said:

It's hug an Australian day, (does) New Zealand count?
It's tell a story day!.... I'm young, numb and full of rum.

Click to expand...

wildsweetone said:

I give hugs every day (not that I'm counting). Sorry to hear Australians only do it once a year.

And you're typing fairly well for someone full of rum. lol My beverage at the moment is wild berry and it's delicious!

Click to expand...

My Erotic Trail said:

I don't drink, I used the word 'rum' because it rhymed <grin

Click to expand...

wildsweetone said:

fancy writing poetry that isn't true!

Click to expand...