1. предлог 1) чем, нежели Например: He is older than me. — Он старше меня. She looks more like a farmer's wife than a revolutionary. — Она больше похожа на фермершу, чем на революционерку. 2) кроме, за исключением Например: This computer is not used by anyone other than me. — Этим компьютером никто кроме меня не пользуется. Other than that, nothing happened. — За исключением этого - никаких происшествий. 3) (больше или меньше) чем (какое-либо количество) Например: They stayed there for less than an hour. — Они и часа там не пробыли. I had not been off for more than a few minutes. — Я отсутствовал всего несколько минут. The beach is more than a mile away. — До пляжа больше мили. 2. союз 1) чем, нежели Например: He is older than I am. — Он старше меня. Easier said than done. — Легче сказать, чем сделать. 2) а) (лучше, скорее) чем, вместо того чтобы Например: I'd sooner go hungry than eat junk food. — Я лучше буду ходить голодным, чем есть что попало. I'd like to stay at home this evening rather than go out. — Сегодня вечером я бы лучше остался дома вместо того, чтобы куда-нибудь идти. б) кроме как, разве только Например: They have not spoken to one another other than by e-mail message. — Они общались друг с другом только при помощи сообщений по электронной почте. 3) (лишь только, едва) как Например: Hardly / Scarcely had a moment passed than the door creaked open. — И минуты не прошло, как дверь со скрипом отворилась. No sooner said than done. — Сказано - сделано. Например: none other than — никто иной, как
I. conjunction Etymology: Middle English than, then then, than — more at then 1. a. — used as a function word to indicate the second member or the member taken as the point of departure in a comparison expressive of inequality; used with comparative adjectives and comparative adverbs Example: older than I am Example: easier said than done b. — used as a function word to indicate difference of kind, manner, or identity; used especially with some adjectives and adverbs that express diversity Example: anywhere else than at home 2. rather than — usually used only after prefer, preferable, and preferably 3. other than 4. when 1b — used especially after scarcely and hardly II. preposition in comparison with Example: you are older than me Usage: After about 200 years of innocent if occasional use, the preposition than was called into question by 18th century grammarians. Some 200 years of elaborate and sometimes tortuous reasoning have led to these present-day inconsistent conclusions: than whom is standard but clumsy Example: Beelzebub…than whom, Satan except, none higher sat — John Milton Example: T. S. Eliot, than whom nobody could have been more insularly English — Anthony Burgess; than me may be acceptable in speech Example: a man no mightier than thyself or me — Shakespeare Example: why should a man be better than me because he's richer than me — William Faulkner, in a talk to students; than followed by a third-person objective pronoun (her, him, them) is usually frowned upon. Surveyed opinion tends to agree with these conclusions. Our evidence shows that the conjunction is more common than the preposition, that than whom is chiefly limited to writing, and that me is more common after the preposition than the third-person objective pronouns. You have the same choice Shakespeare had: you can use than either as a conjunction or as a preposition.