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Then vs After - What's the difference?

then | after |

In obsolete terms the difference between after and then

is that after is according to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting while then is at the time that; when.

As adverbs the difference between after and then

is that after is behind; later in time; following while then is at that time.

As conjunctions the difference between after and then

is that after is Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause while then is obsolete spelling of lang=en.

As adjectives the difference between after and then

is that after is later; second (of two); next, following, subsequent while then is being so at that time.

As a preposition after

is subsequently to; following in time; later than.

As a noun then is

that time.

then

English

Adverb

(-)
  • (label) At that time.
  • :
  • *Bible, (w) xii. 6
  • *:And the Canaanite was then in the land.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned. But he had then none of the oddities and mannerisms which I hold to be inseparable from genius, and which struck my attention in after days when I came in contact with the Celebrity.}}
  • (label) Soon afterward.
  • :
  • :
  • *Bible, (w) v. 24
  • *:First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
  • *
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=Then' there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and ' then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season.}}
  • (label) Next in order; in addition.
  • :
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps, with something of the stately pose which Richter has given his Queen Louise on the stairway, and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author=(Peter Wilby)
  • , volume=189, issue=6, page=30, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Finland spreads word on schools , passage=Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then , without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.}}
  • (label) In that case.
  • :
  • :
  • :
  • (label) At the same time; on the other hand.
  • :
  • (label) At the time that; when.
  • *1485 , Sir (Thomas Malory), (w, Le Morte d'Arthur)'', Book I.23, reprinted 1817, Sir Thomas Malory, (William Caxton), ''Morte d'Arthur: The Byrth, Lyf, and Actes of Kyng Arthur , Volume 1, page 37:
  • *:Than the knyght sawe hym lye soo on the ground, he alyght and was passynge heuy, for he wende he had slayne hym.
  • Used to contradict an assertion.
  • *2001 , (Eric Malpass), At the Height of the Moon , page 28,
  • *:‘She says Indian elephants are tidgy little things.’ ¶ ‘They?re not then .’ Emma was getting heated. ‘They?re –’ ¶ ‘Emma!’ said Jenny sharply. The child subsided.
  • Synonyms

    * (soon afterward) and then, and so, subsequently, so * (next in order) and then

    Adjective

    (-)
  • being so at that time
  • See also

    * by then * just then * now and then * there and then * until then

    Noun

    (head)
  • That time
  • It will be finished before then .

    Conjunction

    (head)
  • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    *

    after

    English

    Alternative forms

    * afther * aftre (obsolete)

    Adverb

    (-)
  • Behind; later in time; following.
  • They lived happily ever after .
    I left the room, and the dog bounded after .

    Derived terms

    * after-effect * aftermarket * aftermath * aftertaste * afterwards * go after

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 15, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC
  • , title= Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea , passage=After early sparring, Spurs started to take control as the interval approached and twice came close to taking the lead. Terry blocked Rafael van der Vaart's header on the line and the same player saw his cross strike the post after Adebayor was unable to apply a touch.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The new masters and commanders , passage=From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.}}
  • Behind.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps,
  • In pursuit of, seeking.
  • In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing.
  • Next in importance or rank.
  • As a result of.
  • In spite of.
  • I can't believe that, after all our advice against gambling, you walked into that casino!
  • (Used to indicate recent completion of an activity)
  • *
  • *
  • * '>citation
  • *
  • *
  • (dated) According to an author or text.
  • Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to.
  • to look after''' workmen; to enquire '''after''' a friend; to thirst '''after righteousness
  • (obsolete) According to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • He takes greatness of kingdoms according to bulk and currency, and not after their intrinsic value.

    Usage notes

    * The Irish English usage example is equivalent to "I had just finished my dinner when .".

    Derived terms

    * after one's own heart * after you * after-five * afternoon * go after * look after * name after

    Conjunction

    (English Conjunctions)
  • (Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause).
  • :
  • *
  • *:It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the screw begins to revolve. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.
  • *1991 , Donald "Shadow" Rimgale (character), (Robert DeNiro) (actor),
  • *:So you punched out a window for ventilation. Was that before or after you noticed you were standing in a lake of gasoline?
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= David Van Tassel], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/lee-dehaan Lee DeHaan
  • , title= Wild Plants to the Rescue , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Plant breeding is always a numbers game.

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (dated) Later; second (of two); next, following, subsequent
  • * 1834 , (w), A Narrative of the Life of , Nebraska 1987, p. 72:
  • I did verily believe in my own mind, that I couldn't fight in that way at all; but my after experience convinced me that this was all a notion.
  • * 1886 , (Thomas Hardy),
  • The amends he had made in after life were lost sight of in the dramatic glare of the original act.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, […], he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned. But he had then none of the oddities and mannerisms which I hold to be inseparable from genius, and which struck my attention in after days when I came in contact with the Celebrity.}}
  • (nautical, where the frame of reference is within the ship) At or towards the stern of a ship.
  • Usage notes

    * As shown in the examples above, the adverb in this nautical usage is (aft) and the related preposition is (abaft).

    Derived terms

    *

    References

    * Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition , Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

    Statistics

    *