other....than or other....but

other....than or other....but

Other than is a preposition and can mean- with the exception of, except for or besides. It can also be used to indicate differently.

E.g.

Other than an aunt who lives in Bristol, she has no relatives.

Or, As the fire engulfed the floor, there was no other way out than jumping from the window.

Other.. but indicates that there was no other choice in a given situation or even.

E.g.

He was given no other choice but to resign from his positions.

Or, A fashionable woman will have no other thought about another fashionable woman but that she bought her clothes cheaply.

Test your understanding - From among the given pair of sentences, pick the one that is correct

1
a. Beside Shalini, all my friends wanted to see the movie, Haider.
b. Other than Shalini, all my friends wanted to see the movie, Haider.

View Answer / Hide Answer

2.
a. They all ran down the steps, other than trying another way to evacuate the house.
b. They all ran down the steps, therefore, than trying another way to evacuate the house.

View Answer / Hide Answer

3. .
a. Since the maid did not turn up, we had no other choice but to do the dishes ourselves.
b. Since the maid did not turn up, we had no other choice than to do the dishes ourselves.

View Answer / Hide Answer

4.
a. There was no other way to gather money than to sell some of our jewellery.
b. There was no other way to gather money, hence to sell some of our jewellery.

View Answer / Hide Answer

5.
a. Other but running as fast as I could run, I had no way to escape the stampeding bull.
b. Other than running as fast as I could run, I had no way to escape the stampeding bull.

View Answer / Hide Answer