different from, to, than

different from, to, than
   Among the more tenacious beliefs among many writers and editors is that different may be followed only by from. At least since 1906, when the Fowler brothers raised the issue in The Kings English, authorities have pointed out that there is no real basis for this belief, but still it persists.
   Different from is, to be sure, the usual form in most sentences and the only acceptable form in some, as when it precedes a noun or pronoun ("My car is different from his"; "Men are different from women"). But when different introduces a clause, there can be no valid objection to following it with a to (though this usage is chiefly British) or than, as in this sentence by John Maynard Keynes: "How different things appear in Washington than in London." You may, if you insist, change it to "How different things appear in Washington from how they appear in London," but all it gives you is more words, not better grammar.

Dictionary of troublesome word. . 2013.

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  • different from —  , to, than.  Among the more tenacious beliefs among many writers and editors is that different may be followed only by from. In fact, the belief has no real basis. Different from is, to be sure, the usual form in most sentences and the only… …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

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