| 词组 | than |
| 释义 | than Than is mainly used after comparative adjectives and adverbs. After than you use a noun group, a clause, or an adverbial. The cataloguing is more difficult than the other part of the work. I am happier than I have ever been. They had to work harder than expected. Last year, terrorist activities were worse than in any of the previous twelve years. If you use a personal pronoun on its own after than, it must be an object pronoun such as 'me' or 'him'. It used to be considered correct to use a subject pronoun such as 'I' or 'he', but this now sounds very old-fashioned. My brother is younger than me. Lamin was shorter than her. However, if the pronoun is the subject of a clause, you use a subject pronoun. They knew my past much better than she did. He's taller than I am. You can use than after a noun group which contains a comparative adjective. For example, instead of saying 'Suzanne was more contented than her brother', you can say 'Suzanne was a more contented baby than her brother'. Kairi was a more satisfactory pet than Tuku had been. Willy owned a larger collection of books than anyone else I have ever met. You can also use a comparative adjective immediately after a noun, followed by than. For example, instead of saying 'I wouldn't like to live in a town which is larger than Lichfield', you can say 'I wouldn't like to live in a town larger than Lichfield'. We've got a rat bigger than a cat living in our roof. ...packs of cards larger than he was used to. You can use an infinitive with or without 'to' after than. He is more likely to continue his crimes than to stop. The number of seats is more likely to rise to 151 than fall to 149. You can also use an '-ing' form after than. Turbocharging an engine involves more than bolting on a unit. ◊ 'than ever' You can also use 'ever' or 'ever before' after than. For example, if you say that something is 'bigger than ever' or 'bigger than ever before', you are emphasizing that it has never been as big as it is now, although it has always been big. Bill worked harder than ever. The baby will get fatter than ever if he is kept too much in his cot. He was now farming a bigger area than ever before. ◊ WARNING You do not use than when you are making comparisons using 'not as' or 'not so'. You do not say, for example, 'He is not as tall than his sister'. You say 'He is not as tall as his sister'. See entry at ↑ For more information about comparatives, see entries at ↑ ◊ 'more than' You use more than to say that the number of people or things in a group is greater than a particular number. ...in a city of more than a million people. There are more than two hundred and fifty species of shark. For more information about this use, see entry at ↑ You can also use more than in front of some adjectives as a way of emphasizing them. For example, instead of saying 'If you can come, I shall be very pleased', you can say 'If you can come, I shall be more than pleased'. This is a fairly formal use. Their life may be horribly dull, but they are more than satisfied. You would be more than welcome. ◊ 'more...than' You can use more and than to say that something is one type of thing rather than another. You put more in front of the first of two noun groups and than in front of the second one. Music is more a way of life than an interest. This is more a war movie than a western. ◊ 'less than' and 'fewer than' You use less than to say that an amount or measurement is below a particular level. Half of all working women earned less than twenty pounds a week. You use fewer than to say that the number of people or things in a group is smaller than a particular number. In 1900 there were fewer than one thousand university teachers in the United Kingdom. For more information about these uses, see entry at ↑ ◊ 'rather than' You use rather than when you have said what is the case and you want to compare it with what is not the case. Its interests lay in London rather than in Nottingham. She was angry rather than afraid. See entry at ↑ ◊ 'no sooner... than' In stories, than is often used after 'no sooner'. If you say no sooner did one thing happen than another thing happened, you mean that the second thing happened immediately after the first. No sooner had he closed his eyes than he fell asleep. For more information about this use, see entry at ↑ ◊ WARNING You do not use than after 'barely', 'hardly', or 'scarcely'. You do not say, for example, 'He had barely got in than the telephone rang'. You say 'He had barely got in when the telephone rang'. See entries at ↑ ◊ 'different than' Some American speakers use than after 'different'. I love the English style of football. It's so different than ours. See entry at ↑ |
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