Than
Than is a grammatical particle analyzed as both a conjunction and a preposition in the English language. It introduces a comparison and is associated with comparatives and with words such as more, less, and fewer. Typically, it measures the force of an adjective or similar description between two predicates. Usage. Case of pronouns following "than". According to the view of many English-language prescriptionists, including influential 18th-century grammarian Robert Lowth, "than" is exclusively a conjunction and therefore takes either nominative (or subjective) or oblique (or objective) pronouns, depending on context, rather than exclusively oblique pronouns as prepositions do . This rule is broken as often as it is observed--William Shakespeare's 1600 play "Julius Caesar" has an instance of an oblique pronoun following "than" where the nominative is also possible: Likewise, Samuel Johnson wrote: In simple comparisons in contemporary English, "than" often takes an oblique pronoun, which lexicographers and usage commentators regard as prepositional use and as standard. The case of a pronoun following "than" can be determined by context. Confusion between "than" and "then". In writing, "than" and "then" are often erroneously interchanged. In standard English, "then" refers to time, while "than" is used in comparisons. Than