Pop quiz! Which of the following sentences is correct?
· His opinion is different from mine.
· His opinion is different than mine.
You may be inclined to say that they're both correct. The reader can easily discern the meaning in both sentences, and neither sentence is bogged down with mechanical errors or excess wording. However, according to the strictest English nerds, the first sentence—His opinion is different from mine—is correct.
What is the reasoning behind this? Than is meant to follow comparative adjectives. Here are a few examples:
· Starbucks is closer than my favorite coffee shop, so let's just go there.
· He is taller than me.
Closer and taller are comparative adjectives. Technically, different is not a comparative adjective. It is simply an adjective and therefore should not be followed by than.
But, because English is adorably complicated, there are exceptions to the rule. If the words following different are a clause rather than a noun or pronoun, you should use than. For example:
· The shirt he ordered was different than he expected.
"He expected" is a clause, so it is preferable for different than to proceed it. The shirt he ordered was different from he expected would sound awkward and wouldn't make any sense. However, The shirt he ordered was different from what he expected would be correct because "what" is the start of a noun phrase.
What is the takeaway here? Generally, use different from rather than different than. However, it is worth noting that this distinction is going down the toilet in many areas of writing. It may not matter to readers which one you use.
YOU ARE READING
Things Every Writer Should Know (but Most Don't)
Non-FictionYou have a wonderful idea for a story, and that is fantastic! But how can you make sure that poor mechanics don't distract your writers from your message? I address some of the most common errors in writing and tell you how to fix them.
