'Different than' versus 'Different from'
September 15th 2009 02:59
In the "than" versus "from" debate, I am firmly on the side of the established usage: "different from" is correct; one need only point to the long established use of "different from". Below are two examples from 19th-century English literature, Austen and Dickens respectively:
"'My style of writing is very different from yours.'" (Darcy to Miss Bingley)
"'But, your bringing-up was different from mine; mine was a real
thing, by George!'" (Bounderby to Harthouse)
But English, being an ever-evolving language, allows for new and accepted, if non-standard, forms all the time. I was once shocked to be corrected by an editor for writing "different from". In my defence, I pointed her to some authoritative texts on the matter, such as The Elements of Style.
Strunk & White say in The Elements of Style that "logic supports established usage". Indeed, compare the meanings of the words "than" and "from", and the correct usage is clear.* Which word is correct in the following example?
Lemons differ [from/than] oranges and figs.
According to Merriam-Webster, one of the uses of from is to "indicate an act or condition of...differentiation".
Lemons are different from oranges.
Figs are different from oranges.
On the other hand, than is used to make a "comparison expressive of inequality; used with comparative adjectives and comparative adverbs".
Lemons are tarter than oranges.
Figs are smaller than oranges.
Indeed, the prescriptive grammarian might only use "different than" in a sentence such as the following:
Figs are more different (from oranges) than lemons.
*I know that British English sometimes allows for "different to", which bemuses me. How did that come about?
"'My style of writing is very different from yours.'" (Darcy to Miss Bingley)
"'But, your bringing-up was different from mine; mine was a real
thing, by George!'" (Bounderby to Harthouse)
But English, being an ever-evolving language, allows for new and accepted, if non-standard, forms all the time. I was once shocked to be corrected by an editor for writing "different from". In my defence, I pointed her to some authoritative texts on the matter, such as The Elements of Style.
Strunk & White say in The Elements of Style that "logic supports established usage". Indeed, compare the meanings of the words "than" and "from", and the correct usage is clear.* Which word is correct in the following example?
Lemons differ [from/than] oranges and figs.
According to Merriam-Webster, one of the uses of from is to "indicate an act or condition of...differentiation".
Lemons are different from oranges.
Figs are different from oranges.
On the other hand, than is used to make a "comparison expressive of inequality; used with comparative adjectives and comparative adverbs".
Lemons are tarter than oranges.
Figs are smaller than oranges.
Indeed, the prescriptive grammarian might only use "different than" in a sentence such as the following:
Figs are more different (from oranges) than lemons.
*I know that British English sometimes allows for "different to", which bemuses me. How did that come about?
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