Meaning & use
instead of
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Meaning
preposition
In place of someone or something; as an alternative to.
Grammar: Followed by a noun, pronoun, or gerund (-ing form), never by a clause with a conjugated verb.
Patterns
- instead of someone/something
- instead of doing something
We took the train instead of driving.
She drank tea instead of coffee.
Instead of complaining, he helped us fix the problem.
Common combinations
- instead of me
- They invited her instead of me.
- instead of going
- Instead of going out, we stayed home and watched a movie.
- instead of that
- Let's do this instead of that.
- use instead of
- You can use honey instead of sugar in this recipe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- in place of
- More formal and often used in written English; 'instead of' is more common in everyday speech.
- rather than
- Can be followed by a verb in the same form as the main verb, while 'instead of' requires a gerund.
Commonly confused: instead of or instead?
instead of vs instead
Instead is an adverb and stands alone: 'I didn't go; I stayed home instead.' Instead of is a preposition and needs an object: 'instead of going'.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
Instead of is a preposition and must be followed by a noun, pronoun, or gerund. Option 0 correctly uses 'coffee' as the object. The others incorrectly follow it with a clause or a base verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “instead of”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.