My house is bigger than your house.

Dogs are smarter than cats.

A Prius gets better mileage than a Cadillac.

A bowling ball is heavier than a baseball.

A soccer field is longer than a football field.

She can run faster than I can.

Reading on a Kindle feels different than reading a book.

Wait a minute!

Is using than to follow different in the last sentence incorrect, or does the usage just grate on me?

In the first six examples the “er” words are adjectives (or adverbs) used to compare one thing (or action/activity) to another.

In the last sentence, different is used to draw a distinction between things.  And, the use of than is simply wrong.  Like, “Raising your voice is different from yelling.”  Or, iPhones are different from Androids.”

Now, this distinction between comparing and distinguishing may seem tenuous, but being able to understand concepts like this, and apply them, separates us from other animals.  (I don’t care who does it wrong, and I don’t care how long you have been doing it wrong.  It’s still wrong.)

Maybe this will be helpful.  Let’s look at some other words that draw distinctions:  apart from, separate from, distinct/distinguish from.  We would never use than, or anything but from, with these words – I hope.

Now that we’ve settled the easy stuff, what do you with sentences like these?:

“Construction requirements are different in London than in Glasgow.”

Should you say, “Construction requirements in England are different from the those in Scotland”?  Gosh, it seems so awkward!  Do I have to do this?

What about a really compelling example?:

“How different things appear to me in my older years than when I was young.”

Do I really expect you to say “How different things appear to me in my older years from the way they looked when I was young”?

The short answer to both is “yes.”  Do it right.

To excuse the laziness evident in the incorrect sentences, some commentators suggest that, in sentences like the first for each of the two examples, than is a conjunction and not a preposition, and therefore properly used.  Sounds like hogwash to me.

Seems to me we can get around the than/from problem by simplifying even the apparently difficult sentences:  Try, “Things look different to me now that I am older.”