Ok guys from time to time we all make spelling mistakes and having a perfect writing is not as easy as it seems but I have noticed that too often and I mean way too often do people completely mix the use of "Then" and "Than" and frankly it kind of stands out as light in the middle of the night so here is a little reminder of the correct use of those two words:
"Then" is used for a continuation of something you are saying as in "I'll take that time off then I'll get back to taking care of my problems"
"Than" is exclusively used for a comparison between two values as in "Bill Gates has more money than J.K. Rowling"
So please try not to abuse the uses of those two words in sentences such as "He is better THEN I thought" cause it really doesn't do it
Pretty funny having someone from Belgium giving English lessons.
Have to agree with you, though. Add to the list proper use of punctuation, capitalization, spelling and grammar. By the way, you could use a couple commas in your first sentence!
Pretty funny having someone from Belgium giving English lessons.
Have to agree with you, though. Add to the list proper use of punctuation, capitalization, spelling and grammar. By the way, you could use a couple commas in your first sentence!
You are right but if you get too picky then there is barely a post out there that makes it without any misspelling. I was just feeling that this Then and Than issue was kind of standing out enough so that it was worth mentioning, no attitude intended.
To the OP: I was wondering if you'd seen a certain thread that is like fingernails on a chalkboard in terms of the poster's grasp of the English language (and he's from California), but then I see you've posted in it. You know the one I mean...
You are right but if you get too picky then there is barely a post out there that makes it without any misspelling. I was just feeling that this Then and Than issue was kind of standing out enough so that it was worth mentioning, no attitude intended.
No attitude intended. I've learned to let a lot slide before it really starts bothering me. Well...I try.....
To the OP: I was wondering if you'd seen a certain thread that is like fingernails on a chalkboard in terms of the poster's grasp of the English language (and he's from California), but then I see you've posted in it. You know the one I mean...
LOL yes, it's cause I saw he/she is from California that I made the remark. Otherwise I wouldn't have, assuming he/she was not English fluent.
The Eight Parts of Speech
Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Adjective, Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection.
Noun - Latin: nomen meaning name.
Purpose: Names a Person, Place, or Thing(Object, Idea, Emotion)
Subject of a Clause, Object of a Verb, Object of a Preposition.
Proper Nouns - Names specific things or persons. They will begin with a capital.
The Taming of the Shrew, Don Quixote, SOUND+VISION, TIME, Hamlet, Macbeth, Avatar, Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, Guernica, Joe Kane, Pablo Picasso, Rome, Perú, SONY, Panasonic, Blu-ray.
Common Nouns - Names a class or group. They are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are part of a title.
book, magazine, play, movie, painting, city, country, people, brand.
Concrete Nouns - Material objects. Can also be a common noun, proper noun or a collective noun.
book, magazine, painting, TV, disc.
Abstract Nouns - Something intangible. Can't be sensed by our five senses. Can be countable or uncountable. Usually abstract if it ends in one of these suffixes: tion, ism, ity, ment, ness, age, ance/ence, ship, ability, acy.
knowledge, relationships, love, hate, violence, anger, culture, education
Count Nouns - Can be modified by a numeral; things that can be divided up into smaller units which are separate and distinct from one another. Count Nouns are singular or plural.
book(s), person(people), table(s), country(ies)
Collective Nouns - names a special class or a group of things.
company, trustees, management, jury, group, minority, litter.
Plural nouns - made plural by adding s, es, y changed to ies (some exceptions: children,...).
Possessive Nouns:
Singular Possessive - the boy's HDTV, the storm's center.
Plural Possessive - the candles' light (the light of the candles), the ships' escorts (the escorts of the ships).
Functions
Subject
Direct Object
Indirect Object
Object of Preposition
Adverb
Adjective
Possession
Pronoun - Latin: pronomen, meaning that it stands in for another noun.
Purpose: Substitutes for a noun so it can refer to a person, place, or thing.
Does not specifically name. Inflected form must be in the subjective. Ordered as singular(1st, 2nd, 3rd person) and plural(1st, 2nd, 3rd person). "The critique of Plato's Republic was written from a contemporary point of view. It was an in-depth analysis of Plato's opinions about possible governmental forms."
Subjective Personal Pronouns: The pronoun is acts as the subject of the sentence.
[I], [you], [he,she,it], [we], [you], [they] I kicked the ball.
Objective Personal Pronouns: The pronoun acts as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase.
[me], [you], [him,her,it], [us], [you], [them]
Bob kicked the ball to me.
Possessive Personal Pronouns: Shows ownership. Some are used alone; some describe a noun.
Used alone: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, whose
Modify noun: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose
Demonstrative Pronouns: points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun.
Used to refer to singular nouns or noun phrases: this, that.
Used to refer to plural nouns and noun phrases: these, those.
Interrogative Pronouns: used to ask questions.
who, whom, which, what.
With the suffix ever: whoever, whomever, whichever, whatever.
Relative Pronouns: used to link one phrase or clause to another phrase or clause.
who, whom, that, which.
Compound: whoever, whomever, whichever.
Indefinite Pronouns: refers to an identifiable but not specified person or thing. Many express some idea of quantity. some, any, none and must are eather singular or plural.
Singular
each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody
One of the TVs in the store looks out of ajustment. (SVC One, looks, out)
Each of the members cast one vote. Plural
both, few, several, many
All of my work is finished. (SVC All, is, finished)
Reflexive Pronouns: used to link one phrase or clause to another phrase or clause.
[myself], [yourself], [himself, herself, itself], [ourselves], [yourselves], [themselves]
The dog licked himself with his tongue.
Intensive Pronouns: used to emphasise its antecedent. Are the same as the reflexive pronouns.
Must agree with their antecedent in person, number, and case.
Verb(Simple Predicate) - Latin: verbum meaning word.
Purpose: Asserts something about the subject of the sentence. Conveys action, state of being or condition.
Most verbs can be both intransitive and transitive depending on the sentence. The verb is the critical element of the predicate.
Classes and Types
Action Verbs There are two types: transitive and intransitive. May be physical or mental action.
Transitive Verbs Action or linking verb that has a complement. Requires both a direct subject and one or more objects
Bob kicked the ball.
Intransitive Verbs Even though they express action they do not have direct objects.
Bob cried out for his mother.
Sue watches TV.
Linking (inactive) Verbs Renames or describes the subject.
Bob is a programmer.
The tomato looks ripe.
Auxillary Verbs
Phrasal Verbs. Main verb + Helping Verbs.
Compound Verbs - Two or more connected verbs that have the same subject.
Voice: Active(subject is acting), Passive(Subject is acted upon). The verb be + past participle. Only transitive verbs can be converted to passive voice becuase it's the direct object that becomes the subject. If the subject performs the action, the verb is in the active voice. If the subject recieves the action, the verb is in the passive voice.
Lightning struck the TV antenna -> The TV antenna was struck by lightning.
Bob wrecked the car last night -> The car was wrecked by Bob last night.
Mood: Indicative, Impaerative, Subjunctive.
Tense: Present or present infinitive, Past tense, Past participle.
1. Present or Present infinitive.
2. Past
3. Past Participle.
Time (temporal spheres):
Past (preterite) The simple past. It may combine with either or both the perfect and the progressive.
Present
Future.
Basic Verb Forms
Base Form The infinitive form without the 'to'. Bare infinitive or verb root.
Children play in the park.
Infinitive [to][verb] Functions as a Noun, Adjective or Adverb.
Tell them to play here.
Past tense
They played all day yesterday.
Past Participle
He has played too long.
Present Participle
I am playing with her today.
Gerund
Playing is children's work.
Progressive aspect - The auxiliary verb be is used with a present participle to form the progressive. Perfect aspect - The auxiliary verb have is used with a past participle to indicate the perfect.
Regular Verb Conjuations
Past Simple (Preterite): [Subject Pronoun][verb+ed/d]
I looked, you looked, he/she/it looked,
we looked, you looked, they looked
Past Progressive: [Subject Pronoun][was/were][verb+ing]
I was looking, you were looking, he/she/it was looking,
we were looking, you were looking, they were looking.
Past Perfect (Pluperfect): [Subject Pronoun][had][verb+en]
I had looked, you had looked, he/she/it had looked,
we had looked, you had looked, they had looked
Past-Perfect Progressive: [Subject Pronoun][had][been][verb+ing]
I had been looking, we had been looking, he/she/it had been looking,
we had been looking, you had been looking, they had been looking
Present Simple: [Subject Pronoun][verb(s)]
I look, you look, he/she/it looks,
we look, you look, they look
Present Progressive (Present Continuous): [Subject Pronoun][am/are/is][verb+ing]
I am looking, you are looking, he/she/it is looking,
we are looking, you are looking, they are looking
Present Perfect : [Subject Pronoun][have/has][verb+en]
I have looked, you have looked, he/she/it has looked,
we have looked, you have looked, they have looked
Present-Perfect Progressive (Continuous): [Subject Pronoun][have/has][been][verb+ing]
I have been looking, we have been looking, he/she/it has been looking,
we have been looking, you have been looking, they have been looking
Future Simple: [Subject Pronoun][will/shall][verb]
I will look, you will look, he/she/it will look,
we will look, you will look, they will look
Future Progressive: [Subject Pronoun][will/shall][be][verb+ing]
I will be looking, you will be looking, he/she/it will be looking,
we will be looking, you will be looking, he/she/it will be looking
Future Perfect: [Subject Pronoun][will/shall][have][verb+en]
I will have looked, you will have looked, he/she/it will have looked,
we will have looked, you will have looked, they will have looked
Future-Perfect Progressive: [Subject Pronoun][will/shall][have][been][verb+ing]
I will have been looking, you will have been looking, he/she/it will have been looking,
we will have been looking, you will have been looking, they will have been looking.
Conjugating the Irregular(defective) Verb To Be
Past Simple (Preterite): [Subject Pronoun][was/were]
I was, you were, he/she/it was,
we were, you were, they were
Past Progressive: [Subject Pronoun][was/were][being]
I was being, you were being, he/she/it was being,
we were being, you were being, they were being
Past Perfect (Pluperfect): [Subject Pronoun][had][been]
I had been, you had been, he/she/it had been,
we had been, you had been, they had been
Past-Perfect Progressive: [Subject Pronoun][had][been][being]
I had been being, you had been being, he/she/it had been being,
we have been being, you have been being, they had been being
Present Simple: [Subject Pronoun][am/are/is]
I am, you are, he/she/it is,
we are, you are, they are
Present Progressive (Present Continuous): [Subject Pronoun][am/are/is][being]
I am being, you are being, he/she/it is being,
we are being, you were being, they are being
Present Perfect: [Subject Pronoun][have/has][been]
I have been, you have been, he/she/it has been,
we have been, you have been, they have been.
Present-Perfect Progressive (Continuous): [Subject Pronoun][have/has][been][being]
I have been being, you have been being, he/she/it has been being,
we have been being, you have been being, they have been being
Future Simple: [Subject Pronoun][will/shall][be]
I will be, you will be, he/she/it shall be,
We will be, you will be, they will be
Future Progressive: [Subject Pronoun][will/shall][be][being]
I will be being, you will be being, he/she/it will be being,
we will be being, you will be being, they will be being
Future Perfect: [Subject Pronoun][will/shall][have][been]
I will have been, you will have been, he/she/it will have been,
we will have been, you will have been, they will have been
Future-Perfect Progressive: [Subject Pronoun][will/shall][have][been][being]
I will have been being, you will have been being, he/she/it will have been being,
we will have been being, you will have been being, they will have been being.
Present simple
Affirmative: He looks.
Emphatic: He does look.
Negative: He does not look.
Conditional: He can look.
Interrogative: Does he look?
Negative interrogative: Does he not look?
Modals (modal verbs or modal auxiliaries). They are words that combine with unconjugated main verbs - verbs in their simple or base form. Modals are auxiliary verbs that show a speaker's attitude about whatever they are expressing. They will never end in ed (past tense) or ing (present participle). There also is no third person singular, so they will never end in s.
There are ten modal verbs:
can (possibility or ability), could (possibility or ability[past]),
will, shall (to create future tenses),
may, might(uncertain future action),
ought to, should, must(obligation),
would(preference)
Statements subject + modal + main verb
Bob must go to the store. Sue must clean the house. (need)
Bob can speak German. Sue can speak Spanish. (ability)
Bob ought to clean the gutters. Sue ought to visit her mother. (obligation)
Questions modal + subject + main verb.
Can Bob win? Can Sue cook?
Adverb - LATIN Ad Means attached to.
Purpose: Modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
Answers the questions: When? Where? How much? How?
Most adverbs end in -ly and can be formed from the adjective.
Types
Adverb
Comparative
Superlative
Adjective - Purpose: modifies a noun, pronoun or another adjective.
Answers the questions: What kind? How many? Which one? How much?
Types
Proper Adjectives - formed from a proper noun. Begins with a capital letter.
America -> American, Mexico -> Mexican, Japan -> Japanese.
Articles - Part of the closed determiner class. There are three articles in English: the(definite), a(indefinite), an(indefinite). Definite.
Ex. the house, the car, the university Indefinite.
Use 'a' before the consonant sounds(b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y or z).
Ex. a house, a car, a university.
Use 'an' before the vowel sounds(a, e, i, o, u).
Ex. an elephant, an hour.
Preposition(adposition).
Purpose: Shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun to some other word in the sentence.
A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, or gerund. Prepositional phrases can be adjectives modifying nouns and pronouns or as adverbs modifying verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. A word in a prepositional phrase can never be in the subject of a verb.
Common Prepositions
Location
Above, below, over, under, among, between, beside, behing, next to, with, on, in, at
Time
at, on, by, before, from, since, for, during, to, until, after
Action
at, by, from, into, on, onto, off, out of
Common Phrasal Prepositions
because of, by way of, in care of, in case of, in lieu of, in spite of,
instead of, on account of, on the side of
Conjunction - connects two words, phrases or clauses together.
Coordinating Conjunctions Join single words, groups of words, and sentences.
so, and, or, nor, but, yet, for.
Correlative Conjunctions Used in pairs.
either...or, neither...nor, both...and, not only...but also.
Don't let eather Bob or Sue know we found the remote.
Subordinating Conjunctions Used in complex sentences. Joins elements of unequal rank. When a subordinate clause is at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma.
Some common suboordinating conjunctions.
after, although, as, as if, as though, as long as, as soon as, because,
before, if, in order that, since, so that, than, thought, unless,
untill, when, whenever, where, wherever, while.
We can have a party tonight if the movie arrives -> If the movie arrives, we can have a party tonight
Antecedent - A word or phrase to which a pronoun refers. Pronouns must agree in person, number, and case. "The critique of Plato's Republic was written from a contemporary point of view. It was an in-depth analysis of Plato's opinions about possible governmental forms."
Gerund -ends in ing and function as nouns which can be.
Subjects
Subject Complements
Direct Objects
Indirect Objects
Objects of Prepositions
Participle - Old French (1388), ‘a noun-adjective’.
Purpose: Components of multipart verbs, function as adjectives or nouns. They are two of the five forms of every verb. Can be either past tense or present tense.
Present Participles - Always ends in ing.
ring -> ringing, sing -> singing
Past Participles - Regular Verbs: ed. Irregular Verbs: CK dictionary.
ring -> rung, sing -> sung
Phrase - Group of related words.
Prepositional Phrase - Preposition plus its object (noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause) and any modifiers. Preposition + object, or Prepostion + Modifiers(s) + object. Neither the subject nor the verb will ever be a part of the prepositional phrase.
amid the crowd
with nuts and bolts
Adjective Phrase - Prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun.
The lighthouse beacon stayed on all night. -> The beacon from the lighthouse stayed on all night.
Adverb Phrase - Prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, or an adverb.
He spoke politely. -> He spoke in a polite manner.
Verb Phrase - Verb forms not used as verbs.
Infinitive Phrase (to + verb) - used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Gerund Phrase - Used as a noun.
Participle Phrase - The participle (present, past, or perfect) is used as an adjective.
Appositive Phrase -
Absolute Phrases -
Predicate - The part which says something about the subject. Makes an assertion or denial about the subject. In logic, it is a Unary Function (function with one argument) whose result represents the truth or falsehood of some condition. The predicate is what is said about the subject. Must contain a verb.
Simple Predicate - The main word or group of words in the predicate. This will be the verb, verb string, or compound verb. This will be all the helping verbs if there are any.
Compund Predicate - Two or more predicates connected. Tells two or more things about the same subject.
Bob lives in Berlin and speaks German.
Sue lives in Barcelona and speaks Spanish.
Complete Predicate - The verb and all accompanying modifiers. That is, all the words other than the subject and its modifiers.
Predicate Noun(predicate nominative) - Renames the subject. It is a single noun or a noun phrase that follows a linking verb.
Bob became a mathematician.
Sue became a nurse.
Predicate Adjective - To predicate an attribute of the subject of the sentence. Describes the subject and follows a linking verb.
Sue grew tired of cooking dinner.
Subject - The Subject of a sentence is the part about which something is being said. One of two main constituents of a clause. The other is the predicate. Every verb must have a subject. The subject of a verb will never be part of a prepositional phrase.
Simple Subject - The main word in the complete subject. A noun or pronoun that is doing or being something.
Complete Subject - who or what plus all of the modifiers.
Compound Subject - two or more connected subjects that have the same verb.
Clauses - Group of related words that contain a subject and a verb. A clause has a subject and predicate.
Independent - An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. When two or more independent clasues are joined by a coordinating conjunction, semicolon and/or conjunctive adverb w/comma, the result is a compound sentence.
Dependent - Does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause is not a sentence.
Types of Clauses
Noun
Adjective
Adverbial
Objects
Direct Object (DO) - Noun, pronoun, nominative element that recieves the verb action.
Subject + Verb + (What or Who) = Direct Object. Direct objects can be nouns, pronouns, phrases, or clauses.
Bob wanted a new TV.
Sue wanted a new Ottoman and Loveseat.
Indirect Object (IO) - Comes before the direct object and does not follow a preposition. If a preposition is used, then the word becomes the object of that preposition.
Bob gave the girls a DVD.
Sue told the boys a story.
Object of Preposition -
You can't buy a bag of peanuts in this town without someone writing a song about you. - Citizen Kane
Sentences - A group of words containing a subject and a predicate and expressing a complete thought. A sentence base contains the subject and the verb. Kinds of Sentences
Declarative Latin: to make clear. Makes a statement and is followed by a period. It does not give a command or request, nor does it ask a question.
My name is Bob.
Her name is Sue.
Imperative Latin: command. - gives a command. Followed by a period or by a exclamation point. Every single command has the same subject, you.
Please find my remote.
Turn off the TV!
Interrogative - asks a question. Followed be a question mark. Change the question into a statement to find the subject.
Is this your Blu-ray? -> This is your Blu-ray.
How do I play your movie? -> I do play your movie how.
Exclamatory - expresses a strong feeling. Followed by an exclamation point.
Sentence Patterns
Noun / Verb
People work.
Noun / Verb / Noun
John plays softball.
Noun / Verb / Adverb
Thomas drives quickly.
Noun / Linking Verb / Noun
Jack is a student.
Noun / Linking Verb / Adjective
My computer is slow!
Noun / Verb / Noun / Noun
I bought Katherine a gift.
S + V
S + V + DO
S + V + IO + DO
S + V + SC
Sentence Forms
Simple(independent clause) - Contains a subject and a verb.
Compound - Contains two or more independent clauses. Joined by coordinating conjunctions or a [;].
Complex - Contains an independent and a dependent clause.
Compund/Complex - Contains at least two independent, and at least one dependent clause.
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Difference between "Then" and "Than"
Linear Mode
