Than Vs. Then–What’s the Difference?

Two acquaintances who share many of the same features may be difficult to distinguish from one another. How can you tell them apart? One way is to get to know them better. Even identical twins have unique characteristics in their physical appearance and personality. A lot of people make errors with the nearly identical than/then pair, but you don’t have to be one of them. Just use the same strategy you use to tell one person from another—get to know them!

When to Use Than

A conjunction is a word that connects two clauses or coordinates words in the same clause. Than is a conjunction used to introduce the second part of an unequal comparison. It also introduces the rejected choice in expressions of preference. Finally, than can mean “except” or “when.”

Amanda is shorter than Annabelle is. She would rather die than wear high heels.

Than can also function as a preposition. A preposition connects a noun or pronoun to a verb or adjective in a sentence, usually to express a spatial or temporal relationship. As a preposition, than means “in relation to” or “by comparison with.” Here’s a (technically correct) construction you may not have seen before:

Annabelle is a friend than whom there is none more caring.

Than appears in a lot of idioms. Many of them, such as “more fun than a barrel of monkeys” or “more dead than alive,” feature comparisons. You’ve probably heard some of the most popular ones (e.g., “easier said than done,” “better late than never”) but many may be new to you. For example, have you heard of “more sinned against than sinning”? Wouldn’t it be a fun project to find out how these colorful expressions started?

When to Use Then

Then often functions as an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Dictionaries define then lots of different ways: in that case, at that time, next in order of place or time, at the same time, soon afterward, in addition, or as a consequence.

Standing next to Edwin is Ethan, then my roommate Claire, then me. Edwin told me, “If we are having fun together, then you should take lots of photographs.” There were no digital cameras then!

Sometimes, then is an adjective or a noun. As an adjective, or describing word, it means “being such, existing, or being at the time indicated.” As a noun, it means “that time.”

My then roommate Claire moved out and I have not seen her since then.

Then appears in some idioms too. One means “on the other hand”: Edwin is funny, but then I laugh at everything. Another idiom means “at that exact time and place, or at once”: Ethan asked me if I wanted to take a road trip, and I went home to pack my suitcase right then and there.

Then and than have many similar characteristics. They are spelled alike, except for the E in then and the A in than. However, telling them apart is not impossible. They have different characteristics: How you define than is definitely not the same as how you define then! They have different “personalities” in that they function as different parts of speech. Do you feel that you know them better now?

Just Memorize These Irregular Verbs

Is there a foolproof strategy for remembering irregular verbs? Absolutely. Just memorize them! Of course, that’s easier said than done. Do memory tricks actually work? Why not try to create a mnemonic for each of these common irregular verbs?

Henry L. Roediger III, a psychology professor at Washington University’s Memory Lab, confirms that songs help encode information into the hippocampus and frontal cortex of the brain. The rhythm of music provides patterns that serve as memory cues, making it easier for people to retrieve information. One teacher, known on YouTube as FluencyMC, makes rap songs of irregular past participles and grammar rules. Can you compose a song to memorize the present tense conjugation of “to be?” You might begin with the tune of a simple song such as, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” or “Row Your Boat.”

To Be I am You are He/She/It is We are They are

You can also take the letters or beginning sounds of verbs to form an acrostic poem or an acronym. According to “Your Memory: How It Works and How to Improve It” by Kenneth L. Higbee, acronyms and acrostics work because they make the information more meaningful than words do alone, and they combine information together so that you have less to remember at once. Can you use an acrostic or acronym to memorize the past participles of the irregular verbs “to teach,” “to catch,” and “to fight?” Remember, you can use the beginning sounds, not just the beginning letters to form memorable words, phrases, or sounds.

Teach, taught, taught Fight, fought, fought Catch, caught, caught

Did you notice a similarity between the past participles of teach, fight, and catch? Memorizing information in groups rather than single units is called chunking. You can find many charts of irregular verbs grouped together by their past participles or some other similar feature. The tables are great for reference, but if you really want to master the verbs you should investigate the patterns and create your own charts.

Some people are visual or kinesthetic learners. In other words, they retain information from seeing and doing. If you learn well this way, create a physical or visual cue for the items you want to recall. For verbs like “to see” and “to run,” it’s easy to make a drawing or perform an action that represents each verb.

See, saw, seen Run, ran, run

For other verbs, such as “to have,” a visual or physical cue might not be effective. In this case, the most tried-and-true method should be employed: practice, practice, practice… Thankfully, practicing doesn’t have to be boring. You can make flashcards, quiz a friend, or play an online game such as the MacMillan Dictionary Verb Wheel. Because “to have” is such a common verb in English, you will have plenty of opportunity to use it in conversation.

How will you master irregular verbs? You can try setting them to a catchy tune or clapping out a rhythm. You can take the first sounds to create an acronym or an acrostic. You can create charts to organize the verbs in patterns that will help you to chunk the information together. Finally, you can create visual aids or physical actions to make a lasting impression. If all else fails, practice, practice, practice. You may have a lot of fun trying to figure out ways to memorize these essential irregulars. Which way will be most effective for you? There’s only one way to find out—give them all a try.

What Language Do the Minions Speak?

The Minions have their own movie now, but before 2015, they starred alongside the lovable villain Gru in the Despicable Me movie series. Like all top actors, the Minions deliver many quotes that fans love to repeat. However, the quotes you hear from Minion fans are likely to be things like “Ngaaahaaa! Patalaki patalaku Big Boss!” What does that mean? What language do the Minions speak?

To answer that, you have to turn to the creator of the language. Minionese is not a real world language. Directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda say that they borrowed cool vocabulary from existing world languages and combined them with funny sounds and gibberish to create Minionese.

Minion Words

Anyone who knows Minions knows that there’s one word they love to say—banana! Some fans even call their language “banana language.” When Minions say banana, they are usually talking about the fruit. However, there are plenty of other food words in their vocabulary. They sing a song that features banana and potato. They also reportedly say poulet tiki masala; poulet means chicken in French and tikka masala is the name of an Indian dish. They count to three in Korean and say thank you in intentionally mispronounced English. You can find fan-created Minion word sites on the Internet if you want to learn more.

How to Speak Minion

Speaking like a Minion isn’t just a matter of making nonsensical sounds with foreign words thrown in here and there. Minions talk a lot like babies. Think of it—banana is reminiscent of baby babble—ba-na-na. They use a lot of Bs and Ps, some of the first sounds that babies master. And they talk in cute little voices that lilt upwards.

Will you see the next Minion film or rewatch one of the old ones? If you do, keep an ear open for the languages you know how to speak. You might hear a phrase you recognize. Report what you think the phrases mean below!

5 Amazing Library Facts

We know that libraries are portals to amazing knowledge and insight, but libraries themselves are also pretty amazing. Here are 5 facts about libraries that will amaze you.

1. According to the American Library Association, 58% of adults in the United States have a library card.

2. The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library. It contains over 160 million items!

3. According to the American Library Association, students in the United States make 1.5 billion visits to school libraries during the school year.

4. The highest library in the world is in Shanghai, China, 60 floors (over 757 feet) above street level.

5. The largest overdue fine for a library book was $345.14. The book was 47 years overdue!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

How to Write Better Essays: 5 Concepts You Must Master

Your teacher hands you a graded essay. What do you look at first? Most college students turn their attention to the letter grade or percentage score. If it’s high, they are happy. If it’s low, they are disappointed. Many students end the review process at this point. What about you? If you want to write better essays, you will need to understand the criteria teachers use to score them.

Development of Your Thesis

A thesis is the essence of your paper—the claim you are making, the point you are trying to prove. All the other paragraphs in your essay will revolve around this one central idea. Your thesis statement consists of the one or two sentences of your introduction that explain what your position on the topic at hand is. Teachers will evaluate all your other paragraphs on how well they relate to this statement. To excel in this area, ask yourself these questions:

Have I clearly introduced my thesis in the introductory paragraphs? Does the body of my essay support my thesis statement? Does my conclusion show how I have proven my thesis?

Strong Form

A good essay presents thoughts in a logical order. The format should be easy to follow. The introduction should flow naturally to the body paragraphs, and the conclusion should tie everything together. The best way to do this is to lay out the outline of your paper before you begin. After you finish your essay, review the form to see if thoughts progress naturally. You might ask yourself:

Are the paragraphs in a logical order? Are the sentences of each paragraph organized well? Have I grouped similar pieces of information in the same paragraph? Have I included transitions to show how paragraphs connect?

Style

Just as your clothes express your personality, the style of your essay reveals your writing persona. You demonstrate your fluency by writing precise sentences that vary in form. To illustrate, a child might write robotically: I like to run. I like to play. I like to read, etc. A mature writer uses various types of sentences, idiomatic phrases, and demonstrates knowledge of genre-specific vocabulary. To improve your style, ask yourself:

Will my sentences create an impact on the reader? Have I used various types of sentences (complex and compound)? Have I correctly used topic-specific vocabulary? Does the writing sound like me?

Conventions

Conventions include spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and grammar. Having lots of mistakes suggests carelessness and diminishes the credibility of your arguments. If you make too many errors, your writing will be difficult to understand. Wouldn’t it be a shame for a teacher to miss the excellent points you made because of poor grammar? To avoid this, always use proofreading software, such as Grammarly, to weed out the major errors. Follow up with a close reading of your entire paper.

Support and References

Finally, your teacher will examine your resources. Select information from reliable websites, articles, and books. Use quotes and paraphrases to support your ideas, but be sure to credit your sources correctly. Here are some questions to consider:

Have I demonstrated proof of extensive research? Are my main points supported by references, quotes, and paraphrases? Have I used the proper format for my citations? (MLA, APA, etc.)

Do you want to develop your essay-writing skills? Pay attention to the same things your teacher will evaluate. The grades you get on your essays are important, but you can never improve your writing if they are the only things you consider. Focus on improving the overall structure of your essays—the thesis development, form, style, conventions, and support. Learning to master these five elements will cause your scores to soar!