Think differently than?

Question

HiRecently I read this phrase several times. Here is the quotes from the articles I read about this phrase.1. Another possibility is simply that we may acquire languagesdifferently as children than we do as adults.2. Collins also found that good-to-great organizations thinkdifferently than mediocre organizations about technology and technological change.What I don't understand is why you don't use "think more differently than... " instead of "think differently than." When we started to learn English, we are taught to use "... more ... than .." Then when it comes to "think differently than," why the rule doesn't apply? Thanks for your help.gloria

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hi Recently I read this phrase several times. Here is the quotes from the articles I read about this phrase. ... ... than .." Then when it comes to "think differently than," why the rule doesn't apply? Thanks for your help.[/nq]
"More ... than" is only one of many idiomatic uses of "than." There is also "other than," as in "I know of no really great tenor today other than Pavarotti." "Differently than" is a variety of "other than."
Something you didn't ask about but that bears comment is that in your second example you can replace "than" with "from" without damaging the sense of the sentence. That's because "from," as a preposition, can take an object. Here that object is "mediocre organizations." So I'd recommend using "from," not because "differently" cannot be followed by "than" but because you should use "from" whenever it's followed by an object. When you don't have an object to follow, you can use "than," as in "good-to-great organizations think differently than you'd expect them to." To use "from: you'd have to rewrite: "think differently from the way you'd expect them to." You will find some people who insist on rewriting rather than using "than." This is an area where usage is disputed.
It's not an easy language, is it? But don't worry I find Chinese completely inscrutable.

Bob Lieblich

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi Recently I read this phrase several times. Here is the quotes from the articles I read about this phrase. ... than .." Then when it comes to "think differently than," why the rule doesn't apply? Thanks for your help. gloria[/nq]
"More...than" is a comparison of amount. "Than" can be used alone to indicate relation, without comparison of amount. So, "I think differently than you" = There is a difference between the way you think and the way I do; it may be in method, amount, or skill; and the sentence doesn't indicate which one of us is "better" "more" or whatever.
To correctly use "more...than" in this kind of sentence , you would want to be comparing three or more entities. "Joe thinks differently about technology than Bob does, and more differently than Sarah does." In other words, there is a difference between Joe and Bob, and a greater difference between Joe and Sarah.

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[nq:1] To correctly use "more...than" in this kind of sentence , you would want to be comparing three or more ... does." In other words, there is a difference between Joe and Bob, and a greater difference between Joe and Sarah.[/nq]
For non-colloquial use, I'm not at all comfortable with the comparison of "different" or "differently". ". . . a
greater difference", in your last sentence, feels good. Perhaps a moment's thought would enable me to explain why. . .

Mike.

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[nq:1]Hi Recently I read this phrase several times. Here is the quotes from the articles I read about this phrase. ... than .." Then when it comes to "think differently than," why the rule doesn't apply? Thanks for your help. gloria[/nq]
==
In UK English we say ::
think differently from
note : I have never seen or heard 'more differently'.

Francis Cameron

Usenet · Answer

I'm one of those rewriters, Bob, when it comes to some of the words grouped together above. Your rewrites are absolutely correct and may not occur to most. I think "different from" is more correct than "different than," as a general rule. I almost cringe at the latter unless the sentence clearly calls for it.
However, I don't have much use for the word "differently." I use it primarily if it ends a thought or a sentence.
"When the bell rings, each of us reacts
differently."
As for "different than,"
"You have a different view over there than I
do over here."
As for "different from,"
"Your view over there is different from mine
over here."
(Let's not forget the ugly "different THEN" that rears its ugly head hundreds, maybe thousands, of times a day on the internet!)

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