anuj.gmat wrote:
Hi mike,
Can you please elaborate on the difference between 'rather than' and 'instead of', highlighting various cases in which each of them can be used.
Thanks for clarifying many doubts
Dear
anuj.gmat,
I'm happy to respond.
Fundamentally, the word "
of" is a preposition, and thus can be followed only by a noun or something behaving as a noun (e.g. a gerund). By contrast, the word "than" is a subordinate conjunction, so it would be followed by an entire clause--or any part of a clause after
common words have been omitted. Right away, this means that virtually any grammatical structure can follow "
rather than," but only nouns can follow "
instead of." This is difference #1: the former is much more flexible and can handle a wide variety of grammatical forms.
Thus, we get complete mistakes in some instances when we use "
instead of." All of these mistakes are avoided with the use of "
rather than."
He said the longest part of the drive was across the plain instead of up the mountain.
He said the longest part of the drive was across the plain rather than up the mountain.
(We cannot put one prepositional phrase inside another!)
After the accident, she was relieved instead of upset.
After the accident, she was relieved instead of upset.
(An adjective cannot be the object of a preposition!)
She said she would record a podcast instead of write a book.
She said she would record a podcast rather than write a book.
(A verb cannot be the object of a preposition!)
Of course, we could change that verb to a gerund, and grammatically, a gerund can be the object of a preposition.
She said she would record a podcast instead of writing a book.
That is 100% grammatically correct, but not a good sentence. You see, in the "
rather than" version above, we had perfect parallelism between the two verbs. Since these two actions are logically juxtaposed, it makes sense to reflect that with parallel structure. The "
instead of" version with the gerund has to disrupt the parallelism to make the grammar work. This is difference #2. The "
rather than" structure elegantly allows for complete parallel structure, whereas the "
instead of" structure is a jerry-rigged half-baked mediocrity. This is like a race between
Usain Bolt and a toddler learning to walk--it's no contest!
Now, think of the way English is used in real life. Uneducated native English speakers--and in America, we have an unimaginably LARGE number of these!--make these "
instead of" mistakes all the time and don't understand the "
rather than" structure. All this poor usage serves to give the "
rather than" structure sound that much more intelligent and well-spoken. This is difference #3. Even when "
instead of" would be 100% correct, say with ordinary nouns, the "rather than" version sounds more elegant.
He is building a treehouse instead of a shed.
He is building a treehouse rather than a shedNow, I want to emphasize that the "
instead of" is 100% grammatically correct. Strictly speak, the latter is still parallel, while the former isn't, but this matters less with nouns. Think about who would say each. Anyone could say the first one, but only someone well educated and well spoken would say the second. Therefore, people who are well spoken gravitate away from the former and toward the latter. If you want to impress others when you write, always use "
rather than" rather than "
instead of."
In this vein, the structure "
instead of" is almost never part of a correct answer on the GMAT SC.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)