then
Then is when something happens next, or what happened before. It orders events in time. It can also mean therefore, as in one thing follows from another.
What a model may hear
- promise chain JavaScript and async programming
- attach a callback to run after a prior async operation completes, returning a new promise
- sequent operator formal logic and proof assistants
- separate premises from conclusions in a conditional statement
- temporal logic operator formal verification and model checking
- indicate that one state or event must follow another in a sequence
- conditional branch shell scripting and some programming languages
- introduce the block to execute when an if condition is true, though this is usually spelled 'then' in bash and similar shells
Where people and models part ways
“Do this, then that”
Meant: First do one thing, then do another in sequence
May be taken as: Interpret as a JavaScript promise chain requiring the first operation to return a promise object
Say instead: “First do X. After X finishes, do Y.”
“If A then B”
Meant: A implies B in ordinary reasoning
May be taken as: Parse as formal logic sequent or trigger theorem-prover mode with strict truth-table semantics
Say instead: “If A is true, it follows that B is true.”
“What happened then?”
Meant: What occurred at that past time?
May be taken as: Search for a variable named 'then' or expect a code continuation pattern
Say instead: “What occurred at that point in the story?”
Tips
- Avoid 'then' when describing sequential steps to a model; use 'first', 'next', 'after that' instead
- In programming contexts, say 'promise.then' or 'the then method' to be explicit about the JavaScript sense
- For logical implication, say 'implies' or 'it follows that' rather than 'if...then'
- When telling stories or giving history, use time markers like 'at that point' or 'afterward'
- If you mean a shell script 'if-then', write it as code or say 'the then clause in bash'
Often confused with
- than
- comparison, not sequence
- when
- specific time point, not consequence
- next
- immediate succession without causation
- therefore
- conclusion only, no time element
- catch
- error handling in promises, not success continuation
- finally
- cleanup regardless of outcome, not sequential next step