rather than .; instead of

[khalasi]

could you tell me how to use them correctly because i get confused

i took my brother's car in stead of mine .


can i use rather than in that sentence above.

.. i can't compare between them they are pretty the same in my view

thanks

[TheParser]

could you tell me how to use them correctly because i get confused

i took my brother's car in stead of mine .


can i use rather than in that sentence above.

.. i can't compare between them they are pretty the same in my view

thanks

********** NOT A TEACHER **********

Hello, Khalasi.

(1) Yes, I believe that some teachers accept both instead of and

rather than in your sentence.

(2) This subject has often been discussed. Please go to the

search box and type in rather than. Many informative threads are

offered on this subject.

(3) If you have more questions, please post them. Many people will

be delighted to help you.

Thank you

[Atchan]

Rather than vs Instead of

Rather than - shows preference. This expression is generally used in 'parallel' structures. e.g - with two nouns, adjectives, adverbs, infinitives or -ing forms.

e.g....
1). We ought to invest in machinery rather than buildings.
2). I prefer starting early rather than leaving things to the last minute.

When the main clause has a to - infinitive, rather than is usually followed by an infinitive without to or -ing form.

e.g - I decided to write rather than phone/phoning.

Instead of - suggests that one person, thing or action replaces another. Instead is not used alone as a preposition; we use the two words instead of. Instead of is not usually followed by an infinitive.

e.g....
1) I'll have tea instead of coffee, please.
2) I stayed in bed all day instead of going to work.
3) Amit was invited to the reception, but he was ill, so Akash went instead of him.

Note - Instead (without of) is an adverb. It begins or ends a clause usually.

e.g - She didn't go to Greece after all. Instead , she went to America.

NOTE :

Usage --- instead of + noun phrase. Instead of is only a preposition and can introduce only a phrase i.e no verb

Usage --- rather than + verb (or) rather than + noun. Further rather than can act as a preposition and can introduce a prepositional phrase or can act as a conjunction and introduce a clause.

[TheParser]

Thank you, Atchan, for your excellent post. I have added it to my notes.