| Instead of | |
| Instead of is a preposition and means 'in place of’ or 'as an alternative'. Don't confuse instead of with instead (without of), which is used differently. | |
| We can use instead of in the following ways: instead of + noun instead coffee instead of + a name I'll go instead of Jack. instead Jack instead of + pronoun you, us, etc. I'll go instead of him. instead him instead of + verb + -ing. He went alone instead of waiting for me. instead waiting | |
| Don't forget that a verb coming directly after instead of must be in the -ing form: I want to keep fit so I walk everywhere instead of driving. instead of drive instead of to drive | |
| Instead | |
| Instead is an adverb and means ‘as an alternative’. We can use instead at the beginning or the end of a clause, although in spoken English it is more common at the end. Holidays in Italy are too expensive, so we're going to Greece instead. | |
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10 Comments
Fabian - October 1, 2017, 10:43 am Reply
What about ‘instead for’? Does it exist at all?
- See AlsoAlternatives to BUT! Use better words in English ✅ - mmmEnglishSee you in the morningWelcome to Macmillan Education Customer SupportAccount Suspended
Thiscounts - November 13, 2019, 8:52 am Reply
I would like to see how you use it, because I do mistakenly use it alternatively to replace ‘instead of’ which I couldn’t find anywhere just as you asked
Stuart Cook - April 13, 2020, 7:40 pm Reply
No, it doesn’t exist. You’re confusing it with ‘except for’.
Evelyn rose - March 29, 2020, 11:40 am Reply
Thanks for the tips
Anonymous - November 15, 2020, 8:46 am Reply
both instead and instead of can mean “as a alternative”? according to your description.
Shwetha - March 8, 2021, 12:09 pm Reply
Instead of example
Anonymous - December 26, 2020, 9:11 pm Reply
thank you
Binte Adam - August 2, 2022, 7:09 am Reply
Instead of always take an object after it, whereas instead don’t need object after it
mary - January 13, 2023, 1:04 pm Reply
What type of clause begins with instead
