Then, Than and The End of The Sentence

Here is a quick easy tip to remember the difference between then and than, in case anyone questions my knowledge on this subject ;-)

Then: a random point in time

Than: instead of

What you do is replace then/than with a variation of the examples above and if it makes sense you are using the correct one, if not … well, than you have a problem. (Than in this case indicates a problem verses none, not a problem in that point in time.)

Below are some examples using nearly the same sentence at the end of the text dialogue but the change of then/than makes them mean something different.

“Dinnertime is at eight.”

“At eight? I guess I’ll eat my chicken then.”

“We are having hamburgers for dinner.”

“I don’t like hamburgers. I guess I’ll eat my chicken than.”

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In the first example the reply is indicating when the chicken will be eaten in the second it is indicating an alternative choice. The difference between time and “instead” is clear. Hope this helps all you then/than naysayers lol. Oh, and grammar natzis, keep in mind dialogue does not follow proper grammar conventions. So, no need to harp on the lack of grammar. lol