Hi All!
I'm from the Netherlands, so English is not my native language. However, I've been around plenty of English chats and I studied English for a bit so I try and do well. One of the things we got drilled at REALLY hard when I was in highschool is something I see so many Americans/Native English people do wrong.
I get annoyed when people are being know-it-alls but this is just so surprising to me I don't get it. Maybe you folks can shed some light on it for me and explain why so many people seem to not pay attention to it.
It's about the use of THEN and THAN. The simple rule I was taught: when you are comparing something it's than, and when you are speaking of a moment in time it's then. Quite simple I'd think?
Why I am so amazed is this:
- At University I take classes in English and our professor made a test full of then/than mistakes.
- I read a Reuters press release today and they made a then/than mistake too.
- On these boards I see many people use "then" way more often than "than".
Please - can some one tell me if this is just because nobody in school ever stresses the difference? I just don't get it! Hihi.
Oh, and really.. I am not a know-it-all. I make plenty of mistakes. But this one seems so obvious to me! I've been wondering about it for months now.