Determining if "than" is used as conjunction or preposition
"than" can be used as a conjunction and as a preposition. I want to be able to tell for any given sentence containing "than" which grammatical function it has in that sentence.
My current understanding is as follows:
- When "than" connects two clauses or phrases it's a conjunction. Examples: We shouldn't spend more than we earn. He's taller than I am.
- This also applies when the second clause or phrase is elliptical: He's taller than I.
- But when "than" occurs with a pronoun in the objective case, it's a preposition: He's taller than me.
- It's also a preposition when numbers/amounts are compared: It takes less than an hour. A crowd of more than 10,000 had gathered.
Is this correct so far?
I'm confused about the following:
Macmillan Dictionary lists "I'm taller than my dad" as an example for "than" as a preposition
Oxford Dictionaries lists "He was much smaller than his son" as an example for "than" as a preposition
American Heritage Dictionary lists "She is a better athlete than I" as an example for "than" as a conjunction
But aren't these all elliptical sentences (e.g. I'm taller than my dad is), and hence all cases of "than" as conjunction?
My question has a practical background: I want to apply proper title case to a number of song titles. According to both the Chicago Manual of Style and the Wikipedia Manual of Style, four-letter prepositions are not capitalized while (subordinating) conjunctions are capitalized, so I need to be able to make the distinction.
Solution 1:
Constituents of the same grammatical category can be coordinated by "and":
NP: [George] and [the young seals]
VP: [gleams] and [reflects in blue]
PP: [in Georgia] and [over the Atlantic]
P: [over] and [under] the table
But constituents of different categories cannot:
*[George] and [under]
*[reflects in blue] and [George]
Are "than" phrases and PPs of the same category?
*Tartar sauce is better [on fish] and [than ketchup].
*I like oysters more [than oatmeal] and [on the half-shell].
Nope.
Is "than" a preposition?
*He ate more [than] and [beside] the eagle.
Nope.
Rather than collecting opinions from here and there on whether "than" is a preposition, wouldn't it be better to find evidence from English?
Solution 2:
"Than" is neither a conjunction nor a preposition, it is a special function word with only one single use - after a comparative. Actually it can only be used in the structure verb (mostly to be) + comparative + than + complement. Prepositions or conjunctions don't behave in this way.
Dictionaries that label this function word as conjunction or preposition have no feeling that this special word does not fit into these two word classes.
Even etymonline uses the label conjunction. And its historical explanation does not help much.
I can give only my view: If you say Peter is taller than his sister, you say: Peter is taller (seen from there: seen from his sister). In German there is the word davon (there+from). This could give an understanding of the word than. In German there is also an old "denn" after comparative:
Geben ist seeliger denn Nehmen (Giving is better than taking). And we have an old "von dannen" (from there).
If you talk about the size of a thing A, you can compare it with a thing B. And you can say compared with B A is taller - or you can say: seen from B A is taller.
This way of expressing the idea was already in use in Latin. The Romans used an ablative (indicating from where) after a comparative: Nulla bestia fidelior est cane (No animal is more loyal than the dog). You could explain: "No animal is more loyal (seen) from the dog." This ablative is called ablativus comparationis (ablative of comparison).
So "than" has a special origin and exactly one use comparable to the function word "ago" and you get problems if you want to force such a word into the traditional word classes. That does not help to understand the word, on the contrary. You get wrong ideas. And some begin to rack their brain when "than" is a conjunction and when a preposition.