[Grammar] 'than' as pure conjunction or rel. pron.

[maoyueh]

In the sentence "The rent was much higher than I could afford", is the word 'than' a pure conjunction, or a pseudo-relative pronoun used as the object of 'afford'? Thank you a lot.

 

[emsr2d2]

It is the word used after a comparative.

Higher than ...
Lower than ...
Bigger than ...
Smaller than ...

The rent was much higher than [the amount] I could afford.

 

[5jj]

In the sentence "The rent was much higher than I could afford", is the word 'than' a pure conjunction, or a pseudo-relative pronoun used as the object of 'afford'?

than - definition. American English definition of than by Macmillan Dictionary

 

[MikeNewYork]

In the sentence "The rent was much higher than I could afford", is the word 'than' a pure conjunction, or a pseudo-relative pronoun used as the object of 'afford'? Thank you a lot.

I don't see "than" as the object of "afford". It is a conjunction being used in a comparison.