by R. S. Karunaratne

Use of 'than' in different contexts

'Than' is both a conjunction (joining word) and a preposition.

1. 'Than' is used to make comparisons. Chennai was much more chaotic than I expected.

Khan can act better than Malick.

You have more books than I do.

Colombo is more congested than Polonnaruwa.

Old hands do better than some of the new recruits.

2. 'Than' is used to state preferences.

I'd rather read a book than watch TV.

3. Collocations

'More than' and 'less than' are usually followed by amounts.

There were more than 1000 students in the auditorium.

There are less than 20 girls in the choir.

4. Certain adjectives and participles follow 'than'.

The rainfall this year is higher than average.

She is a little happier than normal.

Buses are more crowded than usual.

The results of the examination are better than expected.

The winning candidate's majority of votes was more than predicted by others.

5. 'Than' is followed by certain adverbs.

The boss is angrier than before.

The hall is more crowded than ever.

He is more generous now than then.

You will get more money in future than now.

6. 'Other' and 'rather' are followed by 'than'.

We didn't have time to see all the Vesak pandals other than the one at the market.

I would fight rather than run away.

7. Set phrases

More often than not she will be criticizing the other girls. (usually)

A: I'm 70 but I wish to follow a degree course.

B: Why so late?

A: Better late than never.

(To excuse the lateness of doing higher studies)

Activity

Insert 'than' in the following proverbs.

1. Better late never.

2. You've bitten off more you can chew.

3. There's more to it meets the eye.

4. Blood is thicker water.

5. Two heads are better one.

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Key

1. Better late than never.

2. You've bitten off more than you can chew.

3. There's more to it than meets the eye.

4. Blood is thicker than water.

5. Two heads are better than one.

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Fun with proverbs

By using proverbs you can put your thoughts across to the other person in the most delicate manner. Be familiar with the following proverbs and use them when necessary.

1. A cat may look at a king.

The proverb is not about cats and kings. It means that everybody has equal rights today.

2. Catch as catch can.

Use any ends or means to achieve an objective.

3. Catch your bear before you sell its skin.

Some people become overconfident of success. For instance, if you raise a big loan expecting the first prize in a lottery, you are virtually trying to skin a bear you haven't caught!

4. A drowning man will clutch at straws.

When you face a serious problem, you will resort to anything to save yourself.

5. Charity begins at home.

Before trying to be charitable to others, take care of your own family.

6. Children should be seen and not heard.

Adults, have no answers to some of the questions raised by children. Be aware of it.

7. Christmas comes but once each year.

This is usually used as an excuse when you wish to be extravagant in spending money on eating and drinking.

8. Cleanliness is next to godliness.

A person must be pure in his mind. He too should be neat and tidy when it comes to his body.

9. Never count your chickens before they are hatched.

You should not be overconfident of the outcome of an event. Bide your time and wait for the results patiently.

10. Don't cry for the moon.

Don't ask for things others cannot possibly give you.

11. Don't cry over spilt milk.

As a human being you are likely to make mistakes. However, do not worry about them too much if you cannot correct them now.

12. Curiosity killed the cat.

If you get involved too much in unwanted affairs, you will find yourself in an awkward position.

13. Cut off your nose to spite your face.

When you are angry you tend to overreact and do foolish things.

14. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

It is very difficult to please some people.

15. Dead men tell no tales.

When a man dies all his secrets are buried with him. The meaning is obvious.

Starters

Reflexive pronouns for emphasis

Reflexive pronouns can be used when the speaker wants to give emphasis to a particular noun or pronoun.

The king himself shook hands with me.

I did it myself and I'm proud of it.

I myself did it to impress others.

We put up the pandal ourselves.

We ourselves put up the pandal.

You did it yourself, I suppose.

I suppose you did it yourself.

You painted the house yourselves.

You yourselves painted the house.

He wrote the essay himself.

He himself wrote the essay.

She cooked rice herself.

She herself cooked rice.

They cleaned the house themselves.

They themselves cleaned the house.

Note: The reflexive pronoun itself is not used for emphasis.

The examples given above show that the reflexive pronoun can be used at the end of a sentence or immediately after the subject. This is done only when you want to emphasis. As the reflexive pronoun is not the object of the sentence, it is not placed after the verb.

Activity

Tick off the sentences that are correct and check your answers with the key.

1. (a) Sam and I organised ourselves the concert.

(b) Sam and I organised the concert ourselves.

2. (a) Mrs. Perera mops herself.

(b) Mrs. Perera does the mopping herself.

3 (a) Pubudu brushed his teeth himself.

(b) Pubudu brushed himself his teeth.

4. (a) Boys, catch the fish yourselves.

(b) Boys, catch the fish yourselves.

5. (a) I wrote myself the essay.

(b) I wrote the essay myself.

6. (a) Repair the typewriter yourself.

(b) Repair the typewriter by yourself.

7. (a) Gwen made the chair herself.

(b) Gwen made the chair itself.

8. (a) Villagers built themselves the bridge.

(b) Villagers built the bridge themselves.

9. (a) Father made the arrangements himself.

(b) Father made himself the arrangements.

10. (a) Bob set himself up the business.

(b) Bob set up the business himself.

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Key

1 (b), 2 (b), 3 (a), 4 (a), 5 (b), 6 (a), 7 (a), 8 (b), 9 (a), 10 (b).

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