Than it was before vs Than it was in the past

Both phrases are correct and can be used interchangeably. They both convey the idea of comparing a current state to a previous state. The choice between them depends on personal preference or the specific context in which they are used.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 1287 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to compare a current state to a previous state.

"Than it was before"

This phrase is used to compare the current state of something to how it was in the past.

Show examples from the web [+]

This is more Christmas-y than it was before.
It's way bigger than it was before.
This place is different than it was before.
But as income inequality rises, upward mobility is actually less than it was before.
Blackwater fever is much less common today than it was before 1950.
Indeed, each innovation in society seems calculated to make the world safer than it was before.
The water's even lower than it was before.
Just seems like the truth is further away than it was before and like laughing at us.
It's about 10 billion times dimmer than it was before, and we can see the planets beam out just like that.
The last restoration made it much brighter and "barer" than it was before.
Which is one reason why they redesigned the Lobby which now is not only more eye catching, but even easier to navigate than it was before.
Pat shifted the game to a new rule that made it more entertaining, more exciting, arguably more so than it was before.
I'veust been doing some thinking about the people I know, the ones who've walked into my fe d made it better than it was before...
That shows that the European Union finds itself in a better position than it was before and in the immediate aftermath of the Hong Kong Conference.
Everything of concern to them is now of much more concern to ourselves than it was before.
It's even faster than it was before!
The fog is everywhere around me and the morning is even more grey than it was before.
Information on changes in the purchasing power of the Swiss franc - in other words, whether money is worth more or less now than it was before - is provided by the National Consumer Price Index.
It's even hotter in here than it was before.
It will have relieved a shortage of longer-term assets by creating a shortage of high-quality assets, and so be in a worse position than it was before.

Alternatives:

than it was previously
than it used to be
than before
than in the past
than earlier

This phrase is also correct and commonly used in English to compare a current state to a previous state.

"Than it was in the past"

This phrase is used to compare the current state of something to how it was in the past.

Show examples from the web [+]

The Council needs to be somewhat more flexible in this regard than it was in the past.
We want the system to be much more selective than it was in the past, so that we can help those who really need it.
Capital that is invested through this programme is no more designed to develop poor countries now than it was in the past, since they are dependent on European capital.
That area should be more industry-driven than it was in the past.
The NPT is even more important now than it was in the past.
The EU's homepage has been revised and has, at least, been made more logical and easier to navigate around than it was in the past.
I am well aware that this opening-up means that change must be much faster than it was in the past, and that change leads to disruption.
As a result of the economic crisis, our debate on the future of the cohesion policy has become even more urgent than it ever was in the past.
We cannot afford to re-invent the wheel 27 times and we are therefore asking you today to ensure that, in future, where the European Union's and the taxpayers' money is spent on defence, it is better spent than it was in the past.
Down's syndrome (Trisomy 21) is less common than it was in the past, mainly as a result of prenatal screening, but, on average, one child in 700 is still born with the condition in Europe.
In the past, His Highness' smile was much better than it is now.
You're scared of being on that stage and having it feel different than it did for the past 20 years.
We want to enrich this partnership much more than it has been in the past.
That is because it is harder for young people to find a job than it has been in the past.
In my view, we have come up with a number of sound solutions to make the system more workable than it has been in the past.
Clearly Mrs Jackson has reached that certain age and she now thinks everything in the past better than it is now.
I believe that wood will be a lot more important for us in the future than it has been in the past.
I trust the Commission will respond more positively to these points than it has in the past.
With this revised framework agreement, the Commission itself becomes much more parliamentary in character than it has been in the past.
This point should be organised better in the future than it is now, otherwise it means that we never learn anything from the past.

Alternatives:

than it was previously
than it used to be
than before
than it was before
than earlier

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Than it was before vs Than it was in the past