from/that

Question

I was pleased to discover that the rest of that first week wasn't much different from/than the first day.Which is correct, from or than? Please explain. Thanks in advance.

Maya2 · Accepted Answer

New2grammarI was pleased to discover that the rest of that first week wasn't much different from/than the first day.

Which is correct, from or than? Please explain. Thanks in advance.

Usage Note: Different from and different than are both common in British and American English. The construction different to is chiefly British. Since the 18th century, language critics have singled out different than as incorrect, though it is well attested in the works of reputable writers. According to traditional guidelines, from is used when the comparison is between two persons or things: My book is different from (not than) yours. 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. Different from may be used with a clause if the clause starts with a conjunction and so functions as a noun: The campus is different from how it was 20 years ago. · Sometimes people interpret a simple noun phrase following different than 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."

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=different&r=66

Marius Hancu · Answer

>language critics have singled out different than as incorrect

I'd stay with that.

Yoong Liat · Answer

Marius Hancu>language critics have singled out different than as incorrect

I'd stay with that.

I've read that 'different than' is AmE, and 'different from' is BrE.

Yoong Liat · Answer

Yoong Liat
Marius Hancu>language critics have singled out different than as incorrect

I'd stay with that.
I've read that 'different than' is AmE, and 'different from' is BrE.

Hi Marius

language critics have singled out different than as incorrect

Could you please let me know where I can find what you stated above? What you've said contradicts what I've read in English usage books.

Marius Hancu · Answer

Read the posting by Maya2.

BarbaraPA · Answer

? but the sentence continues to say that it is commonly used, and the passage goes one to give examples of how to use different than.

CalifJim · Answer

I would use different than on the basis of the usage note quoted above.

(By the way, the American schools I went to taught that only different from was correct.)

CJ

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