than
part of speech
conjunction, preposition
meaning for a pupil
1) Than is used when you compare two things: «taller than», «more than». tree →
2) Than also comes after «rather» and «other»: «rather walk than ride», «anyone other than Ben». tree →
3) «No sooner … than» means just after: «No sooner had we left than it rained». tree →
4) (casual) People often say «than me» rather than «than I»: «He's taller than me». tree →
5) (formal) Exams say «in excess of», «exceeding», «less than or equal to», «fewer than» and «other than» in long comparisons. tree →
6) Than can also mean only, as in "no more than five pence". tree →
sense in the lessons
in «more … than», «fewer … than», «older … than», «less than», «bigger than»; in maths it marks a comparison; the signs > and < are read «greater than» and «less than»; in casual talk «more than ever», «better than nothing», «way more than», «heaps more than»; in rough talk «you're dumber than a box of rocks» (a put-down); in the exam voice «exceeds by», «is in excess of», «is not less than» (≥), «is not more than» (≤)
examples
- And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. (Torah NUM.22.15, JPS 1917) tree →
- And Cain said unto the LORD: 'My punishment is greater than I can bear. (Torah GEN.4.13, JPS 1917) tree →
- And Abimelech said unto Isaac: 'Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.' (Torah GEN.26.16, JPS 1917) tree →
- Deeper than the nether-world; what canst thou know? (Writings JOB.11.8, JPS 1917) tree →
- Better is open rebuke than love that is hidden. (Writings PRO.27.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- Thou lovest evil more than good; falsehood rather than speaking righteousness. (Writings PSA.52.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- How many more books does Tom have than Ben? tree →
- Max has 2 fewer books than Lily. tree →
- Anna is 3 years older than Tom. tree →
- 9 is greater than 6, so we write 9 > 6. tree →
- A whale is bigger than an elephant. tree →
- I would rather read than watch TV. tree →
- Nobody other than Mia knew the answer. tree →
- He's got way more cards than me, like 10 more. tree →
- Better than nothing, I s'pose. tree →
- You're slower than a snail, hurry up! tree →
- By how many does 23 exceed 15? tree →
- The number of pupils shall be not less than 20 and not more than 30. tree →
note
«than» marks a comparison. «How many more A than B» asks for a difference: subtract, even though it says «more». «A has D more than B» gives A = B + D. «A exceeds B by D» is the same as A = B + D. «not less than 20» means 20 or more. Trap: do not mix up «than» (comparing) and «then» (next, after that).
In the corpora
- Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.
- And Cain said unto the LORD: 'My punishment is greater than I can bear.
- And Abimelech said unto Isaac: 'Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.'
- And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
- For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.'
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «than» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.