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Subject:Re: Different....'THAN' ..vs. FROM From:"Dick Margulis " <margulis -at- mail -dot- fiam -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 31 Mar 2003 13:22:54 -0500
Margaret,
In my heart, I'm on your side. However, I turned to the American Heritage Dictionary usage note at different, and here is what it says:
Different from and different than are both common in ritish and American English. Critics since the 18th century have singled out different than as incorrect, though it is well attested in the works of reputable writers. Where the comparison is drawn directly between two persons or things, from is usually the safer choice: My book is different from (not than) yours. But different than is more acceptably used, particularly in American usage, where the object of comparison is expressed by a full clause: The campus is different than it was 20 years ago (or The campus is different from how it was 20 years ago). As a result, a simple noun phrase following different than is often construed as elliptical for a clause, which allows for a subtle distinction in meaning between the two constructions. How different this seems from Paris suggests that the object of comparison is the city of Paris itself, whereas How different this seems than Paris suggests that the object of comparison is something like "the way things were in Paris" or "what happened in Paris." The construction different to is chiefly British.
HTH,
Dick
"Muwonge, Margaret" <Margaret -dot- Muwonge -at- fhwa -dot- dot -dot- gov> wrote:
>
>These days I hear 'different than' everywhere....and I mean everywhere!!
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