Different ...

Discussion in 'Linguistics' started by Jerrek, May 2, 2003.

  1. Jerrek Registered Senior Member

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    Do you say "different than" or "different from?" I have always heard the former, but recently I heard someone say "different from." Weird.
     
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  3. theonlyguyever omg met's lake out!!1 Registered Senior Member

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    This should be a poll!
     
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  5. sargentlard Save the whales motherfucker Valued Senior Member

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    I um..use both...frequently. I guess saying "different than" is different from saying "different from"...it depends on the conversation. Sometimes i use "different from" in coversation to express ideas which are different than other ideas that could not be expressed by "different than"

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  7. Circe Registered Senior Member

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    406
    different from, different than, different to


    These three have been usage items for many years. All are Standard and have long been so (different to is limited to British English, however), but only different from seems never to meet objections: She is different from her mother in many ways. He feels different from the way he did yesterday. You look different from him. Different than has been much criticized by commentators but is nonetheless Standard at most levels except for some Edited English. Consider She looks different than [she did] yesterday. He’s different than me (some additional purist discomfort may arise here). You look different than he [him]. The problem lies in the assumption that than should be only a subordinating conjunction (requiring the pronouns that follow to be the nominative case subjects of their clauses), and not a preposition (requiring the pronouns that follow to be the objective case objects of the preposition). But Standard English does use than as both preposition and conjunction: She looks different than me is Standard and so is She looks different than I [do]. And with comparative forms of adjectives, than occurs with great frequency: She looks taller [older, better, thinner, etc.] than me [than I do]. Still, best advice for Formal and Oratorical levels: stick with different from.

    Taken from
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  8. Jerrek Registered Senior Member

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    I have never picked up on anyone saying "different from" until now. I always thought it is "different than."
     
  9. The Marquis Only want the best for Nigel Valued Senior Member

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    With all due respect, that's probably because you're American, and the language has become a little distorted over there from what I've seen.

    *edit.. actually that's not confined to America. English standards are dropping here too.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2003
  10. ben lomond Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    41
    It's different than when it's different from.
     

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