than

[[t]ðæn, ðɛn[/t]] unstressed [[t]ðən, ən[/t]]

conj.

1) fun (used after comparative adjectives and adverbs and certain other words, such as other, otherwise, else, etc., to introduce the second member of a comparison):

She's taller than I am[/ex]

2) fun (used after some adverbs and adjectives expressing choice or diversity, such as other, otherwise, else, anywhere, different, etc., to introduce an alternative or denote a difference in kind, place, style, identity, etc.):

I had no choice other than that[/ex]

3) fun when:

We barely arrived than it was time to leave[/ex]

4) use in relation to; by comparison with:

He is taller than his father[/ex]

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Etymology: bef. 900; ME, OE than(ne) than, then, when, orig. var. of thonne then usage: Whether than is to be followed by the objective or subjective case of a pronoun is much discussed in usage guides. When, as a conjunction, than introduces a subordinate clause, the case of any pronouns following than is determined by their function in that clause: He is younger than I am. I like her better than I like him. When than is followed only by a pronoun or pronouns, with no verb expressed, the usual advice for determining the case is to form a clause mentally after than to see whether the pronoun would be a subject or an object. Thus, the sentences He was more upset than I and She gave him more sympathy than I are to be understood, respectively, as He was more upset than I was and She gave him more sympathy than I gave him. This method is generally employed in formal speech and writing. In informal speech and writing than is usu. treated like a preposition and followed by the objective case of the pronoun: He is younger than me. See also but, different, me.