than

than
   Three small but common problems need noting.
   1. In comparative constructions, than is often wrongly used, as here: "Nearly twice as many people die under twenty in France than in Great Britain" (cited by Gowers). Make it "as in Great Britain."
   2. It is wrongly used after hardly in sentences such as this: "Hardly had I landed at Liverpool than the Mikado's death recalled me to Japan" (cited by Fowler). Make it "No sooner had I landed than" or "Hardly had I landed when."
   3. It is often a source of ambiguity in sentences of the following type: "She likes tennis more than me." Does this mean that she likes tennis more than I do or that she likes tennis more than she likes me? In such cases, it is better to supply a second verb if it avoids ambiguity, e.g., "She likes tennis more than she likes me" or "She likes tennis more than I do." See also I, ME.

Dictionary of troublesome word. . 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Than — is a grammatical particle serving as both conjunction and preposition in the English language. It introduces a comparison, and as such is associated with comparatives, and with words such as more, less, and fewer. Typically, it seeks to measure… …   Wikipedia

  • Than — ([th][a^]n), conj. [OE. than, thon, then, thanne, thonne, thenne, than, then, AS. [eth]anne, [eth]onne, [eth][ae]nne; akin to D. dan, OHG. danne, G. dann then, denn than, for, Goth. [thorn]an then, and to E. the, there, that. See {That}, and cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Than — Than, adv. Then. See {Then}. [Obs.] Gower. [1913 Webster] Thanne longen folk to gon on pilgrimages. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • than — I. conjunction Etymology: Middle English than, then then, than more at then Date: before 12th century 1. a. used as a function word to indicate the second member or the member taken as the point of departure in a comparison expressive of… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • than — See: LESS THAN, LESS THAN NO TIME, MORE THAN …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • than — See: LESS THAN, LESS THAN NO TIME, MORE THAN …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Than Uyen — ( vi. Than Uyên) is a district ( huyện ) of Lai Chau Province in the Northwest region of Vietnam …   Wikipedia

  • Than-Thre-Kull — The Than Thre Kull, commonly abbreviated to Than, are a fictional sentient species from the television series Andromeda . Physical characteristics Than are humanoid, in the sense that they have two arms ending in hands, and two legs. Than are… …   Wikipedia

  • Than Shwe — Infobox President | name = Than Shwe | caption = order = Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar primeminister = Khin Nyunt Soe Win Thein Sein vicepresident = Maung Aye term start = 23 April 1992 term end = predecessor =… …   Wikipedia

  • Than Tun — Dr. Than Tun (6 April 1923 30 November 2005) was an influential Burmese historian as well as an outspoken critic of the military junta of Burma. For his lifelong contributions to the development of worldwide study of Burmese history and culture,… …   Wikipedia

  • Than Sadet-Ko Pha-Ngan National Park — Infobox protected area | name = Than Sadet Ko Pha Ngan National Park iucn category = II caption = Than Sadet Beach locator x = locator y = location = Thailand nearest city = Surat Thani lat degrees = 9 lat minutes = 45 lat seconds = 0 lat… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”