Than, Then, Thence
Who is greater than who, and whom, and why? Because few people live by what they preach, and accomplish and sacrifice for others than many others they are greater, and are respected.
Than has many meanings, and functions as an adjective, adverb, conjunction and preposition. As an adjective, than is used after a comparative by introducing a clause or phrase as a result comparison is expressed.
As a conjunction, ‘than’ is used to introduce the second element in a comparison between two things or persons. Is your right cheek smaller than the left cheek?
India is smaller than China in terms of population and geographical extent.
Than is used to draw comparisons between two things: I like to live a rural life than an urban life.
A husband loves his wife more than their children?
Mother loves her husband more than their children?
You should know more than your peers or classmates in order to secure a job.
Than as a preposition is used before a noun or preposition to express a comparison.
You will be displeased if you get less property or money than your sibling, ah?
Are you older than him?
Everybody understands about you better than you!
You may understand better than everybody about yourself!
Than is used after more or less: To pay rent costs me more than for food and transport.
Than is used before an expression of time to indicate how long it takes, before an expression of distance to indicate how far the destination is.
How far is the horizon from your home? Always more than one can imagine!
Then is an adverb, and has many meanings at that time; indicating to the time of past or in the future, something that is next, after that, afterwards next in order (adjective) and of that time or that time (noun). Examples:
Are you in touch with your then (ex) girlfriend?
If we do not travel now, when shall we then?
Let’s get undressed and then swim.
Then means at that time: I used to travel regular to see her then.
They practiced the game for seven hours, and then (next) went home.
At that time, we paid homage to Gandhi as Gandhi Ghat, when we visited New Delhi.
Then refers to someone who had held a position in the past but no more.
Then Prime Minister was…, Then President has set precedents…
Then also means: also.
We had dinner, then a dessert, then…
They families usually go out for dinners together on the weekends, then they go in their directions.
But then again is an idiom used to introduce information that is contrasting: He is wealthy and accomplished but then again mean spirited and inconsiderate.
Then and there, there and then means at that time, at that place.
Thence is an archaic, and formal word of adverb meaning from there. Pilgrims travel to Tirupati, and thence (from there) to Tirumala on foot or by bus.
