Grammarians have been arguing for years on whether than always operates as a conjunction (“than I”) or if it occasionally operates as a preposition (“than me”).
Than as a conjunction
In the first case, people argue that than connects two sentences. For example, the statement “John is taller than I” is actually two sentences: “John is taller” and the implied “I am”. Than has operated as a conjunction since it entered the English language.
Than as a preposition
In the latter case, pronouns that act as the object of the proposition always occur in the object case (e.g. beside her, after him, between them). Hence, the sentence would be “John is taller than me”. Than has acted as a preposition more recently than as a conjunction, but still for several centuries.
Which than is right?
So which is right? Neither, really. It depends on who you’re talking to.
Two things to remember when using than
Even so, regardless of how you use than, you should keep two things in mind.
First, in some cases, using than as a preposition causes confusion. In the sentence “Mary loves me more than anyone”, does Mary love me more than she loves anyone else or does she love me more than anyone else loves me?
As well, than should always be treated as a proposition when who is the pronoun in question. You would never write “You’re taller than who?”; it should always be “You’re taller than whom?”
How to avoid the than debate
Personally, I get around the debate by trying to reword my sentences:
- John is taller than I am.
- Susie likes turkey more than I do.
- Jordan is better at sports than I am.
I offend fewer people, and my meaning is always clear. :)
Where do you fit in the debate? Are you a conjuncitonist or a prepositionist?
