How about focusing on one word at a time to help keep the words and their correct usage clear? Ready? Let's start with Then.

The old children's verse made him smile, and he couldn't help saying the words: "First come love, then comes marriage, then comes Jason with a baby carriage."

With the correct usage of Then firmly planted in your mind, let's move on to the other confusing part of this pair, the word Than.

"Okay," she decided, "It's settled. Or is it?" Oh, if only she knew which looked better than the other, the bright orange jumpsuit or the red jacket. Not that she had a choice. "Orange jumpsuit it is," she told the warden.

Now that the meanings of Then and Than are becoming less hazy, how about a few fill in the blanks. Don't worry the answers are below.

a. Marvin was happy enough to hop, remembered his aching knee, switched to a much safer stroll.

b. Even though the store was more a mile from her house, she sprinted as fast as her short legs could carry her.

Feeling confident? Good. Now let's make the choice tougher. When reading these, be careful to remember the tips: than is comparing, then is dealing with time. a. The medication they gave him made him sleep a lot, but they thought that was better _ having him upset all the time.

b. Carmen looked through them, and handed them back without comment.

a. "The mother dragon probably knows the road to the castle. If she went the other way _ we have come the wrong way," said the Wizard, with great meaning.

b. My problem is that when I go to far away spots on the globe, I am usually ignorant of local customs and commit more one faux pas.

a. By 1973 pi was calculated to more _ a million digits, in 1983 more _ ten million digits, in 1987 more _ one hundred million digits, in 1989 more _ one billion digits, and in 1997 more _ fifty billion digits.

b. If you have an unwavering commitment to an idea that all things will be good all the time, that is irrational.