Sentences with the word rather than

When using comparative phrases like “rather than” or “instead of,” it’s good to understand the difference. You want to make sure you’re using them correctly when you write them, after all. In this article, we will look at what each one means and how they are used.

What Is The Difference Between “Rather Than” And “Instead Of”?

“Rather than” should be used to state a comparative preference (i.e., “I walk rather than run” generally means that someone prefers to walk over running). “Instead of” should be used to state a substitution (i.e., “I walked instead of running” means you chose to walk this time).

The two phrases are actually considered to be synonymous as well. You’re able to use them interchangeably, and most native speakers won’t be able to tell the difference. It’s up to you which one works for you at the time.

Generally, most people stick to the rules we mentioned above, but only in a loose sense. They won’t swear by “rather than” meaning a preference and “instead of” meaning a substitution. Instead, it’s generally accepted but isn’t always the case.

What Does “Rather Than” Mean?

So, to get a better idea about them, let’s first explore their meanings. We’ll start with “rather than.”

“Rather than” means, we’re comparing one thing over another. It’s used as a positive comparison, usually to mean that we prefer one thing over another thing.

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, “rather” means “quite; to a slight degree” or “in preference to, or as a preference.”

We can use either of those meanings to show what we’re trying to convey when using “rather than.” Basically, we’re stating that we have a slight preference for one thing over another.

The objects you talk about may vary, but the preference is always the most important part of a sentence using “rather than.”

What Does “Instead Of” Mean?

Now let’s look at “instead of” and the meaning. It’s very similar and can be used interchangeably, but we won’t stop there.

“Instead of” means that we’re making a substitution of one thing over another. We might do this if we don’t have access to one thing or if we’re not currently able to do it. A substitution gives us something else to do instead.

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, “instead” means “in place of someone or something else.” This indicates just how apparent the replacement and substitution portion of the phrase is.

Generally, we’ll use this one more independently than “rather than.” That means “instead of” works best when talking about a substitution, and “rather than” isn’t that suitable. However, “instead of” works well to replace the comparison meaning of “rather than” as well.

Can “Rather Than” And “Instead Of” Be Used Interchangeably?

We’ve mentioned already that the two phrases are interchangeable. However, we can apply some more information to this to show you which one is used more often in written English.

According to this graph, “rather than” is the current most popular choice. “Instead of” still gets used, but more people prefer the comparative tone of “rather than.” You can see the abrupt shift in popularity around the 1930s where the two lines switch over.

“Instead of” is a slightly more historical word that was used more commonly 200 years ago and further. However, “rather than” is a phrase that’s begun to increase in popularity over time. Many people find themselves in contexts that require “rather than” over “instead of.”

It’s also worth mentioning that to native readers; it’s important to write sentences that flow smoothly and look appealing. Generally, “rather than” is much lighter in a sentence and easier to read. Some readers see “instead of” as harsher and a bit jarring in the middle of a sentence.

7 Examples Of How To Use “Rather Than” In A Sentence

To help you understand what we’ve been talking about so far, we’ll go through using the two phrases in a sentence. “Rather than” will be first and we’ll include all the comparative examples we can to help you explore the idea.

“Rather than” is the more popular of the two phrases. It’s mostly used to make a preference judgment over two items.

1. I’d like wine rather than beer if that’s okay.
2. I eat apples rather than oranges because I prefer their sweet flavor.
3. I play football rather than soccer because soccer is boring to me.
4. I study math rather than English because numbers make more sense.
5. I read books rather than watch movies because I prefer creating my own worlds.
6. I go out to eat rather than eat-in because it saves me having to cook anything myself.
7. I spectate competitions rather than compete in them since I’m not good enough at anything!

In all of these examples, we can see how “rather than” is used to evaluate two separate objects. Generally, the two objects have a close link to each other that we can work with. This link is then compared to see which one is more preferred by the speaker.

When we make this comparison, we’re always talking about one thing that we like more than the other. It doesn’t work as well if we’re trying to make a substitution like we would when using “instead of.”

7 Examples Of How To Use “Instead Of” In A Sentence

Using “instead of” is better suited for talking about a replacement of an object. However, it can also be synonymous with “rather than” in the right situations.

“Instead of” is the less popular phrase. It’s used to show a comparison of two objects but to talk about a replacement between them. Generally, we use it when something isn’t available to us.

1. I ate an apple instead of a pear since I couldn’t find any at the store.
2. I like walking instead of running to work because I can spend more time looking at the beautiful scenery.
3. I play soccer instead of hockey because my school doesn’t have the correct equipment.
4. You play the flute instead of the guitar because it’s a cheaper instrument.
5. I went out to eat instead of eating at home because I found some spare time to do so.
6. I needed fish instead of chicken, but I had to make do with what I had.
7. She drinks water instead of beer because she looks after herself.

When we use “instead of,” we’re making a comparison that shows a direct substitution. What this means is that someone uses or does something over something else because of current availability.

We included further context in each example to show you what that context might be. It’s good to learn when “instead of” is more appropriate than “rather than,” even if the two words are interchangeable and most people won’t know the difference.

Should You Place A Comma Before “Rather Than” And “Instead Of”?

When it comes to comma rules, you might be met with a lot of resistance. Some people believe commas should be in places where they shouldn’t, while others believe no commas are needed when they are. It can be confusing at first.

You don’t need a comma before “rather than” or “instead of.” They’re both a main part of the original clause, and a comma works to break up a sentence into more than one clause. We need to keep them as part of the same clause as the two compared objects always.

There are no cases where using a comma before “rather than” or “instead of” works when you’re making a comparison in this way. If you’re comparing two objects or nouns with each other, both phrases go in between the two words without any further need for punctuation.

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“Rather Than” And “Instead Of” – Synonyms

Now let’s go through some alternatives we can use for both of the phrases. Since they mean very similar things, we can use any of the following examples interchangeably. That way, we don’t have to worry about using the wrong phrase when we’re comparing things.

• Something over something

Using the word “over” in the sense of comparing two objects is a good replacement for “rather than.” It shows that we have a preference for one particular thing. “I like apples over oranges” is a good way to see this written.

• In place of

We can also use “in place of” when we’re talking about things that we replace in a sentence. This doesn’t work in all of the same cases as “rather than, but it can be used quite well for both phrases.

• As an alternative

Simply saying “as an alternative” is another great way to compare two or more objects with each other. You can use this to present a better alternative than the one you previously spoke about.

• Ideally

If you want to talk about something you’d rather have, you can use “ideally.” Sometimes, when we use “ideally,” we mean that something would be the ideal situation, but we don’t currently have access to that situation.

Is “Rather Than” Formal?

Using the phrase “rather than” comes in all shapes and sizes. You can use it in casual conversation quite well, but is there room for it in formal situations as well?

“Rather than” is a formal saying. You can write it when you want to formally make a comparison between two things to talk about a preference. “Rather” is a formal word that works well on all occasions.

So, if you need to make a preference comparison towards your boss or someone else, you now know that you’ll be safe to use “rather than.”

Is It “Rather Than” Or “Rather Then”?

Whenever we want to use the phrase “rather than,” it’s important we use the right word for “than.”

“Rather than” is the correct spelling because “than” is used to make a comparison between two objects. “Then” is used when you want to talk about time phrases, which is incorrect in this sense.

There are no cases where writing “rather then” is correct. “Then” is always used to talk about passages or time or periods of time when things happened. You can say, “one thing happened, then another thing happened,” but that’s not making a comparison between those two things.

A comparison is always done using the word “than.” This means you could say, “I like this thing rather than that thing,” and your comparison would make sense.

Make sure to remember this distinctive difference between the phrases.

What Is The Difference Between “Rather” And “Rather Than”?

When we don’t include the word “than” in the phrase, we’re left with the word “rather.” While similar, “rather” can’t be used in the same way that we use “rather than.”

“Rather” is used to talk about a preference in a matter (not comparing two objects but generally stating a preference). It’s also used to talk about something to a significant extent or degree.

To help you understand what we mean, take a look at these examples:

• I would rather have an apple.

Here, we’re not directly comparing two objects as we have done throughout the article. Instead, we’re simply stating a preference that we have. This is one of the times we would use “rather” in a sentence.

• He has a rather large nose.

If we want to emphasize something to a more significant degree, we can use “rather” to do so.

What Is Short For “Instead Of”?

The shortened version of “instead of” can be written simply as “instead.” Like with “rather” above, “instead” can’t be used in the same way.

Instead can be used to talk about a general substitution for something (we don’t compare two objects with each other).

There aren’t many other cases where instead is used. Generally, we would either start or end a sentence when we’re using “instead” because we’re not directly comparing two things with each other.

Here’s what we mean:

• You shouldn’t do that. Instead, you should do this.
• You shouldn’t do that. You should do this instead.

In both cases, “instead” is used to talk about something else we should do. It’s part of a new sentence, so it doesn’t compare two objects together and is used as a simple substitution in a more general sense.

If you use “instead” at the start of a sentence, you have to include a comma after it to separate it as a clause.

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