Fine-Tuning 17, Different from/Different than

Oh, dear! I've spent years explaining the 'correct' usage of different from as opposed to different than...what's next? I know: "ain't" will actually be named preferable ... aaaggghhh !

I might use, " You see it one way; I see it differently."

Sweetcomplication, I agree with you. Feh. Although I'm obliged to provide the correct info here, I say phooey. Let's pretend we never heard of this.

Nextone, Of course you can change the whole thing to avoid "different than." I'm guessing that most of the time you can, and some of the time rewording will be a pain in the patoot. That's when the "than" comes in.

Roberta, heard of what? :wink:

SweetC, Beats the hell out of me????????????

:wink: :wink:

Comparative method usually helps us find the better. Did I get your meaning?
The sentence "I see this situation in a different way than you do." sounds terse, while "I see this situation in a way different from the way in which you do" somewhat loquacious -- because "the way in which" is a marplot.

oristarA, my opinion is different from yours! :wink: :wink:

Oristar, I just looked up "marplot." I learned a new word. Are you using it correctly? I need time to adjust to new words.

The problem with the example is that it's just that. An example. It's easy to see ways to reword the example to make the issue of "different from" and "different than" irrelevant. However, there are cases (I know them when I see them) in which it's not so easy to rework the sentence and "different from" becomes unwieldy. If I come across one, I'll share it with you.

BTW, as little as five years ago, "different than" was absolutely against the rules of usage--no matter what.

Roberta, I am not very sure for the usage of the word marplot. But I thought I might be in the right ballpark, for I used it in a humourous way. Please take a look at the following:

AHD defines the word like this:
A stupid, officious meddler whose interference compromises the success of an undertaking.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines:

n. One who, by his officious interference, mars or frustrates a design or plot.

And Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary:

mar.plot n (1764): one who frustrates or ruins a plan or undertaking by meddling.

Oristar, I used my Merriam Webster's dictionary. I think a marplot is a person, but I now understand how you were using it to make an amusing point with the "different from" thing.

I love learning new words. I'm now waiting to pounce with it should the situation arise.

Thank you, Oristar!

Roberta: me, too; me, too: this will be a good one to just throw out there :wink: !

Well, just let me marplot on this a few minutes and I will come up with a non-succinct view that is different from yours. Oh, now, an apostrophe? How can I forget the primitive stuff?

I am fairly sure I have used both different from and different than, and felt comfortable as I was doing it. I should explain, as an aside, that I was well educated in the last century on word usage and have wung it ever since. Thus, I am not one to substantiate my point of view with really beefy arguments. However, my instincts are not entirely awful. So, on diff from and than, I need to get back to you on why one would come out of my mouth or typing hands rather than the other.

I beg to differ with a rule in favor of using only "from". You don't think differently, do you? Differently seems wrong on the face of it.

Understood, Osso, and I had quite a time learning that rule in English courses, however, when I was educated, that was definitely the rule! You know how arbitrary American English can be, right? I believe Roberta and I might be coming from a more rigid place, but, hey, rules is rules...heh heh heh; on the other hand, I love it in other areas of life when I 'buck' the rules, Osso, so come on back with your ideas on same, ok?

SweetC, I'm with you. As far as English is concerned, rules is rules and rules is often arbitrary. I think that we should know the rules so that when we break them, we're doing it with purpose.

Glad to hear that you buck the rules. I'm not so much a rule bucker as I am a marcher to my own drummer.

Roberta, one who marches to one's own drums is far more brave than a simple rule-bucker...besides, it sounds so much better :wink: !

This is a different thread from what I expected it would be. I feel differently about it now than I did before.

SweetC, Brave? Moi? I don't know about that. Weird? Absolutely.

Bravo, Andy. Perfect examples. Poifect!

I can't name a source right offhand, but I've been running into "different to" lately. Now THAT is a craw-sticker if ever I heard one!

And it puts "different from/different than" in a whole other light...