"different than" or "different from"?

Question

When I write this:"Don't lend money to your uncle. It's no different than throwing it away."The grammar checker in WordPerfect 12 says that it should be:"Don't lend money to your uncle. It's no different from throwing it away."This just does not seem correct to me. Is WordPerfect correct? Should it be "different from" in American English? Thank you in advance for all replies.Whenever I hear or think of the song "Great green gobs of greasy grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY, REALLY good. I'll have some of that!"

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]When I write this: "Don't lend money to your uncle. It's no different than throwing it away." The grammar checker in WordPerfect 12 says that it should be: "Don't lend money to your uncle. It's no different from throwing it away."[/nq]
I agree.
[nq:1]This just does not seem correct to me. Is WordPerfect correct?[/nq]
I think so.
[nq:1]Should it be "different from" in American English? Thank you in[/nq]
Yes. But so many people use "than" so many places it shouldn't be used that I'm sure there are many people like you for whom "than" doesn't even sound acceptable.
Some people who are happy to change things will probably disagree with me.
[nq:1]advance for all replies.[/nq]
If you are inclined to email me
for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]When I write this: "Don't lend money to your uncle. It's no different than throwing it away." The grammar checker ... to me. Is WordPerfect correct? Should it be "different from" in American English? Thank you in advance for all replies.[/nq]
A careful (pernickety/persnickety?) writer of English, whether AmE or BrE, will probably prefer "from". More casually, or in speech, AmE usually has "than", BrE "to". AmE "than" is apparently more acceptable in the US than BrE "to" is in the UK.
Which preposition would you use in "My accent doesn't differ much yours"?
Alan Jones

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]When I write this: "Don't lend money to your uncle. ... in American English? Thank you in advance for all replies.[/nq]
[nq:1]A careful (pernickety/persnickety?) writer of English, whether AmE or BrE, will probably prefer "from". More casually, or in speech, AmE ... "to" is in the UK. Which preposition would you use in "My accent doesn't differ much yours"?[/nq]
I would use "from" here.
[nq:1]Alan Jones[/nq]
I don't understand why they make gourmet cat foods. I have known many cats in my life and none of them were gourmets. They were all gourmands!

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]A careful (pernickety/persnickety?) writer of English, whether AmE or BrE, ... in "My accent doesn't differ much yours"?[/nq]
[nq:1]I would use "from" here.[/nq]
So why should "different" differ? (Yes, I know the experts will give me a telling-off for drawing improper analogies.)
Alan Jones

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]When I write this: "Don't lend money to your uncle. =A0It's no different than throwing it away." The grammar checker ... of greasy grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY, REALLY good. =A0I'll have some of that!"[/nq]
It really should be "from." Once in a great while, "than" may correct; unfortunately, nearly every American I've heard in the last five years has used "than" every time.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]When I write this: "Don't lend money to your uncle. ... "That sounds REALLY, REALLY good. =A0I'll have some of that!"[/nq]
[nq:1]It really should be "from." =A0Once in a great while, "than" may correct; unfortunately, nearly every American I've heard in the last five years has used "than" every time.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text -[/nq]
I used to be an English teacher teaching English to foreign students. This is my only my opinion.
Than should be used with comparitive adjectives and adverbs. Examples
She runs faster than her brother.
He is less intelligent than a retarded baboon.
Than should also be used with rather.
I would rather take a bath with piranhas than eat her cooking. Rather than walking to work on a Tuesday, I take a jet. I suspect that there is an etymilogical reason for this.
Different is not a comparitve adjective/adverb and so should not be used with than.
I am now a programmer and read alot of american technical literature littered (sorry for the alitteration) with different than. Personally I find it makes it difficult to read. I find myself subconciously rereading the offending sentence to verify that I have understood the content and I am not misreading the sentence.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I used to be an English teacher teaching English to foreign students. I am now a programmer and read alot of american technical literature littered (sorry for the alitteration) with different than.[/nq]
This explains alot.

Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]It really should be "from." Once in a great while, ... in the last five years has used "than" every time.-[/nq]
[nq:1]I used to be an English teacher teaching English to foreign students. This is my only my opinion. Than should be used with comparitive[/nq]
"comparative"
[nq:1]adjectives and adverbs. Examples She runs faster than her brother. He is less intelligent than a retarded baboon. Than should ... walking to work on a Tuesday, I take a jet. I suspect that there is an etymilogical reason for this.[/nq]
"etymological" And the reason is that "rather" is the comparative of the now obsolete "rathe".
[nq:1]Different is not a comparitve ("comparative") adjective/adverb and so should not be used with than. I am now a programmer and read alot of american[/nq]
"American"
[nq:1]technical literature littered (sorry for the alitteration)[/nq]
"alliteration"
[nq:1]with different than. Personally I find it makes it difficult to read. I find myself subconciously[/nq]
"subconsciously"
[nq:1]rereading the offending sentence to verify that I have understood the content and I am not misreading the sentence.[/nq]
I'm not a great fan of "different than" (note my use of quotation marks), but it can work well in certain positions, and may avoid unnecessary words. Certainly well enough, according to OED, for some of my betters:

(Who was Dasent? ...Ah, I should have known: a translator of sagas.)

But in the example under discussion, the construction with "from" is preferable, in my opinion.

Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I used to be an English teacher teaching English to ... technical literature littered (sorry for the alitteration) with different than.[/nq]
[nq:1]This explains alot.[/nq]
****! I missed thatone all together.

Mike.

"different than" or "different from"?

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