the difference between "from then on" and "since"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

can I use “from then on” in past tense or present perfect tense?
like He was there from then on. or He has been there from then on.
Which is right?
He decided to study hard from then on.
He has decided to study hard since then.
thanks

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2

Hi Meifangtien

The phrase “from then on” could basically be used with any tense. The word “then” refers to a specific point in time and that point in time could be either in the past or in the future – it depends on the context. The word “on” simply refers to all of the time that follows “then”.

Without any additional context, I would interpret that sentence to mean that “study hard” began at the same time in the past as his decision. However, additional context could possibly change my interpretation.

Without any additional context, it is not possible to guess what “then” means or when the decision was. I would only assume that both “then” and the beginning of “study hard” were in the past. The decision to study hard could have happened at any time between “then” and now.

If you said “He has decided to study hard from then on”, for example, I could possibly interpret that to mean that his decision was made in the recent past, and the word “then” could be the specific future point in time at which he will begin studying hard.
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3

Sep '08

Yankee wrote :
The phrase “from then on” could basically be used with any tense. The word “then” refers to a specific point in time and that point in time could be either in the past or in the future – it depends on the context.
I’ve read that the idiom " from then on " is only used to describe an event already happened, from the past. Yankee says that " from then on " can be used to refer to an event that has not yet occurred, an event that is still to come, in the future. So… now i don’t know what to think. Is it correct to use the idiom " from then on " in the sense of this example ? " These two boys do not stop arguing. In my opinion, they would need a good little fight. From then on, they will be the best friends in the world. Thanks in advance

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