An Easy Tip That Will Make You Sound Smarter! Then or Than

Do you use the words than and then? Do you know that they have different meanings and cannot be substituted for each other? Many students make this mistake. Than is used when making comparisons. Then is often used as an expression of time or sequence of events, though it has several uses. Let’s look at than first. For example: 1. Sarah is taller than I am. 2. Her dog is nicer than my dog. You cannot use then in place of than in the sentences above. Here are some examples of then: 1. I went to class, then I went home. 2. She did her homework, then she called her friend. The easiest way to remember which one to use is to ask yourself if you are comparing things. If the answer is yes, use than. If the answer is no, use then.