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Rather than

Compare preferences

Would prefer X to Y / Would prefer X rather than Y

WOULD PREFER X TO Y
We express preference with would prefer X to Y. Parallel (syntactically alike) wording is used before and after to.
SUBJ + PRED	OPTION 1	PREP	OPTION 2
I would prefer	walking (gerund)	to	driving (gerund)
I would prefer	tea (noun)	to	coffee (noun)
I would prefer	brown (adjective)	to	black boots. (adjective)
I would prefer	going now (gerund clause)	to	going later (gerund clause)
I would prefer	outside (prep. phrase)	to	inside (prep. phrase)

WOULD PREFER X RATHER THAN Y
Switch to rather than before an infinitive clauses or that-clauses. Avoid combinations such as "to to", "to that", or "than that".
SUBJ + PRED	OPTION 1	PREP	OPTION 2
I would prefer	to walk	*to (rather than)	to drive.
I would prefer	that we have tea	*to (rather than)	(that we) have coffee.
I would prefer it	to be brown	*to (rather than)	to be black.

(Merriam-Webster 760)

*incorrect usage

parallel (Adj) – having the same word form; being syntactically alike, from the same category

categories: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det – determiner; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective

Would Rather

Asking and Stating Preference

Rather X or Y? / Rather X than Y

WOULD you RATHER X OR Y
We use would you rather X or Y? to ask preference between two items. Parallel (syntactically alike) wording is used before and after to. (Or functions as a conjunction.)
AUX + SUBJ	OPTION 1	OPTION 2
Would you	rather drive	or walk? (parallel verb phrases)
Would you	rather leave at 8:00	or wait until 9:00?
Would you	rather that I call you	or that you call me?

WOULD RATHER X THAN Y
Would rather than also coordinates two options phrased with parallel wording. (When parallel phrasing is used, than is more like a negative conjunction (and not). When nonparallel phrasing is used, than is more like a preposition.)
SUBJ + AUX	OPTION 1	OPTION 2
I would	rather drive	than walk.
I would	rather leave at 8:00	than 8:00.
I would	rather that I call you	than (that) you call me.

Related page: Would

Rather than

Expressing Preference vs. Avoidance

Rather than — preference / Rather than — avoidance

#1 RATHER THAN — X NOT Y
Rather than expresses comparative preference for the first of two paired (parallel) elements. Rather than coordinates syntactically alike items. The meaning is X (and) not Y (negative conjunction) "in stead of". The passive voice can be formed in these sentences because rather than coordinates elements within the clause.
OPTION 1	COORDINATOR	OPTION 2
Ed wanted less (Adj)	rather than	more homework.
Ed worked carelessly (Adv)	rather than	carefully on his projects.
Ed wanted success (N)	rather than	failure.
Ed kept (VP)	rather than	told his secrets.
Ed walked (V)	rather than	ran.
Ed enjoys walking for relaxation (Ger)	rather than	running.
Ed prefers to walk (Infin)	rather than	run.

#2 RATHER THAN — CHOOSING X TO AVOID Y
Rather than expresses taking the contrary choice as the preferred one (perhaps, as a judgment of what is right or logical). Rather than (Prep.) subordinates the #2 option clause in the form of a bare infinitive (base verb form) or gerund (-ing). The verb of the main clause is usually present, past or a modal. Passive cannot be formed
OPTION 1	SUBORD/ PREP	OPTION 2
Ed went to jail	rather than	pay his parking fines.
Ed will go to court	rather than	pay his parking fines.
Ed would eat nails	rather than	pay his parking tickets.
Ed preferred to go to jail	rather than	pay an unfair parking fine.
Ed contests a ticket in court	rather than	just ¹ paying / ²pay it. (ex. 3rd per.)
Ed has been making excuses	rather than	¹ doing / ²do his homework.
Ed is making excuses	rather than	¹ doing / ²do his homework.

¹ preferred form / ² less preferred / chosen form

contest (V) – oppose something (an action, decision, or theory) as mistaken or wrong

rather than #1 "not in coordination" (Huddleston 811, 1128)

rather than #2 Merriam Webster Dictionary expresses the meaning as " indicate negation as a contrary choice or wish".

rather than #2 Huddleston expresses the meaning as "taking the contrary choice as the preferred one" (GGEL rather, 1128; expressions based on comparison, 1317)

See coordinator terms.

Rather than

Verb Complements

Rather than – Preference / Rather than – Avoidance

#1 RATHER THAN — X NOT Y
Rather than (X not Y) coordinates two parallel coordinates—verbs, verb phrases or clauses. The structure before rather than should be the same form as the structure after rather than.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE	COORDINATE	PREDICATE
N	VP	COORDINATOR	VP
Ed	walks (present)	rather than	drives to work. (present)
Ed	walked (past)	rather than	drove to work. (past)
Ed	will walk (modal) prefers to walk (VP)	rather than	drive to work. (plain form)
Ed	is walking has been walking enjoys walking	rather than	driving to work. (gerund)
Ed	was walked (by his mom) has walked	rather than	driven to school. (past participle)
Ed	walks all the way to work	rather than	takes the train part of the way.

#2 RATHER THAN — CHOOSING X TO AVOID Y
Rather than (X to avoid Y) is a preposition with a clause as its complement. The clause usually has a base verb form (bare infinitive), but may also have a gerund as will be discussed in the next section.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE	SUBORDINATE	CLAUSE
N	V P	SUBORD/PREP	BARE / GER
Ed	prefers to walk	rather than	¹getting / ²get stuck in traffic.
Ed	walked to work	rather than	¹getting / ²get stuck in traffic.
Ed	will walk prefers to walk	rather than	get stuck in traffic.
He	will ride his bike	rather than	get caught in traffic. (driving involves traffic, the train does not)
Ed	went to jail	rather than	pay his parking fines. (Jail time is preferable to paying a fine.)
Ed	sped down the freeway	rather than	miss his meeting (drove fast to be on time)

¹ preferred form / ² less preferred form

Some speakers use the bare infinitive form, other speakers use a gerund with 3rd person sing., present tense.

Rather than + Complement

Initial clause and wording

(Advanced)

Rather than verb… / Rather than verb-ing…

ADJUNCT CLAUSE WITH BARE INFINITIVE
When a rather than clause begins a sentence, the verb form can be the bare infinitival or the gerund verb form. ¹The bare infinitive is the preferred form.	The choice depends on 1) whether the sentence is worded in a parallel manner, and 2) whether parallel wording of the verb phrase in the sentence will allow it.
BARE INFIN / GER	PARALLEL VERB PHRASE
Rather than ¹take / ²taking the bus,	we drive our car to work.
Rather than ¹take / ²taking the bus,	Ed will/ could/ should/ walk to work. (modal)
Rather than ¹take / ²taking the bus,	Ed walks to work. (present habit)
Rather than ¹take / ²taking the bus,	Ed prefers to walk to work. (present + infinitive clause)
Rather than taking¹ / take² the bus,	Ed enjoys walking to work. (present + gerund clause)
Rather than taking¹ / take² the bus,	Ed walked. (² past tense)

ADJUNCT CLAUSE WITH GERUND
We tend to use a gerund form in the initial clause when the coordinated elements are not parallel or not "balanced" (similar in length.)	The gerund form is used when (1) the second coordinated element is not syntactically alike (unparallel) or lengthy; (2) the verb is a past or progressive form,
BARE INFIN / GER	UNP ARALLEL/ PROGRESSIVE
Rather than taking¹ / take² the bus,	we much prefer to drive whenever we can. (lengthy, unparallel)
Rather than taking¹ / take² the bus,	Ed will be walking to work. (progressive)
Rather than taking¹ / take² the bus,	Ed is walking to work. (progressive)
Rather than taking¹ / take² the bus,	Ed was walking to work. (progressive)

bare infinitive – the infinitive verb form without to

gerund – -ing form; also called gerund-participle; nonfinite

¹ preferred form / ² less preferred form

Rather than + Complement

Judgment vs. Observation

Rather than verb… / Rather than verb-ing…

JUDGMENT OF TRUTH
A bare infinitive form is used when expressing the judgment of truth, right, or what is logical. The person takes the contrary choice as the preferred one to avoid injustice. The main clause verb is usually present, past or will or would.
MODAL / PAST / PRESENT	PLAIN FORM VERB
They will /would go / would have gone on strike rather than	accept what management offers them. (Accepting the offer would be humiliating.)
He went to jail rather than	pay his parking tickets. (Paying his parking tickets would be an admission of guilt.)
He made excuses rather than	do his homework. (Doing his homework would require too much effort.)
We reason with him rather than	quarrel with him. (Getting angry would be less effective.)

DESCRIPTION / OBSERVATION
A gerund form is used with a more descriptive effect, in which the focus is more on the activity (aspect) and not opinion (modality). The verb in the main clause is usually progressive or present perfect.
PROGRESSIVE / PERFECT	GERUND
They are going on strike rather than	accepting what management offered them.
He was going to jail rather than	paying his parking fines.
He has been making excuses rather than	doing his homework.
We have reasoned with him rather than	quarreling with him.

aspect (N) – indicates information, such as duration, completion, or frequency, as it relates to the time of action

modality (N) – the speaker's attitude, opinion or evaluation of the activity; also see Modal Review – modality

quarrel (V) – fight, get angry with

Rather than and Instead of

Complements—a variety of word forms

A preposition can be complemented by a wide variety of structures.

COMPLEMENT TYPE	INSTEAD OF / RATHER THAN
NP (noun phrase)	He took the laptop instead of the iPad. He took the laptop rather than the iPad.
noun	I'll go instead of you. I'll go rather than you.
PP	We'll go now instead of in the morning. We'll go now rather than in the morning.
AdjP	I felt humiliated instead of proud of my self. I felt humiliated rather than proud of my self.
AdvjP	He spoke timidly instead of competently. He spoke timidly rather than competently.
bare infinitival	We want them to be bold instead of be cautious. *We want them to be bold rather than be cautious.
infinitival	*It's better to continue instead of (to) wait. It's better to continue rather than (to) wait.
gerund-participle	We prefer moving on instead of waiting. We prefer moving on rather than waiting.
declarative clause	He said that "it" was regretful instead of that he was sorry. He said that "it" was regretful rather than that he was sorry.
closed interrogative	They told me I had tried hard instead of whether I had succeeded. They told me I had tried hard rather than whether I had succeeded.
open interrogative	They told me where I had to go instead of when I had to go. They told me where I had to go rather thanwhen I had to go.
subjunctive clause	He asked that they be heard instead of that they be sent away. He asked that they be heard rather than that they be sent away.

"The prototypical PP has the form of a preposition as head and a NP as complement… Prepositions allow a wide range of complement type." (Huddleston 642)

double preposition— instead (prep) + of (prep) instead of, outside of, in front of, in place of

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

Error and Solution

ERROR
FORMALITY
~We took a taxi rather than getting lost. informal - but not incorrect
BARE INFINITIVE
*We decided to take a map with us rather than to get lost.
AWKWARD TENSE USE
~Rather than get lost, we are taking a map with us.
*Rather than get lost, we have taken a map with us.
PLACEMENT OF "RATHER THAN"
He rather went to jail than pay his fines. He went rather to jail than to pay his fines.
"RATHER THAN" WITH 3RD PERSON-PRESENT TENSE
He asks for what he wants rather than get / getting upset. speaker usage varies He asks for what he wants rather than whines. 3rd person verb expresses "preference"
"RATHER THAN" IN A COMPARATIVE SENTENCE
The group is more active in pursuing their own interests rather than the interests of the country. comparative phrase is not usedt with "rather than" (Garner 694)
PARALLEL WORDING
The security of the company and its assets rather than individual security has priority. wording is not parallel before and after "rather than"

SOLUTION
FORMALITY
We took a taxi rather than get lost on foot. The bare infinitive is considered more formal use by some. This is a "prescriptivist" argument. It could be a preference for "active" or "dynamic" verb forms bare inf.) rather than "descriptive verb forms gerund). See bare infinitive vs. gerund
BARE INFINITIVE
We decided to take a map with us rather than [to] get lost. The bare infinitive is used. It does not include to.
AWKWARD TENSE USE
Rather than get lost, we'll take a map with us. Use a modal or present tense.
Rather than get lost, we take a map with us. Use present – habitual. Rather than getting lost, we took a map with us. Use past – habitual.
PLACEMENT OF "RATHER THAN"
He went to jail rather than pay his fines. Place rather than after the first verb phrase if coordinating two verb phrases.) He would rather go to jail than pay his fines. Place rather before the verb if using would rather.
"RATHER THAN" WITH 3RD PERSON-PRESENT TENSE
He asks for what he wants rather than getting upset. (avoidance) While the bare infinitive may be considered more formal by some, other speakers use the -ing form here. Note that the bare infinitives seems to sound better in coordination with modal, present and sometimes past tense verbs.
"RATHER THAN" IN A COMPARATIVE SENTENCE
The group is more active in pursuing their own interests than the interests of the country. In a comparative sentence of this type, use more…than or -er…than.
PARALLEL WORDING
The company security rather than individual security has priority. or The company rather than individual security has priority. Rather than individual security, it is the security of the company that has priority. Sometimes a sentence can be reworded to have parallel phrasing or "equal weight". Typically, we tend to put "wordier" information at the end of the sentence. If rewording is not possible, use rather than in an adjunct clause, so that the wordier clause can be placed after it.

*not used / ~possibly used; awkward sounding

Pop-Q Rather than

▼ Hide Grammar Notes

Grammar Notes (Advanced)

Traditional Grammar and Linguistic Description

Traditional / ESL and Linguistic Descriptions

TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION	LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION
Conjunction or Preposition "The question that puzzled Fowler was whether rather than always operated as a conjunction and thus had the same construction before as it had after, or whether it could also operate as a preposition and so connect dissimilar constructions…. We will simply point that rather than does function like a preposition. 'Rather than argue for the overthrow of the entire system, the Colonists realized...that the basic values of British law were still valid. — Daniel Sisson. But when parallel constructions appear on each side of rather than, it is functioning like a conjunction: " ...implicating them, this time subtly rather than powerfully — J. I. M.Stewart" (Merriam-Webster 797) "Than is both a conjunction and a preposition…. In current usage than is more often a conjunction than a preposition... me after the preposition is more common in speech than in edited prose." (Merriam-Webster 892)	Rather "contains the comparative suffix -er but the original base rather (meaning "soon") has been lost, so that rather is no longer analysable as an inflectional comparative. It nevertheless retains clear semantic and syntactic affinities with ordinary comparative constructions." (Huddleston 1128) Rather than – I'd rather resign than accept such humiliation. "Here it is an adverb with a comparative meaning: approximately "more readily, in preference to". There are also uses where this meaning is largely or wholly lost — a change facilitated by the fact that the morphological base rath- no longer occurs without the -er suffix." (Huddleston 1317) Than — " The most usual position for the comparative is at the end of the clause containing the comparative phrase…" (1106); "Bob is more generous than Liz" — Liz can be regarded as a "reduced clause" or as an "immediate complement NP" (Huddleston 1113) coordinator — when expressing preference preposition.subordinator — when expressing avoidance
Rather than (Swan 491.1-4) This structure is normally used in "parallel" structures: for example with two adjectives, adverbs, nouns, infinitives or -ing forms. Rather than (Garner 694) conjunction – requires parallel wording: "If we can, we will solve this problem diplomatically rather than forcibly." preposition – can connect unparallel constructions: "But as a preposition , rather than can connect nonparallel constructions: "Rather than staying home on a Saturday night, we went out to six different bars." "When rather than separates two verbs, it's often less awkward to convert the verbs to gerunds…but sometimes rather than appears between simple verbs…"

TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION

LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION

Conjunction or Preposition "The question that puzzled Fowler was whether rather than always operated as a conjunction and thus had the same construction before as it had after, or whether it could also operate as a preposition and so connect dissimilar constructions…. We will simply point that rather than does function like a preposition.

'Rather than argue for the overthrow of the entire system, the Colonists realized...that the basic values of British law were still valid. — Daniel Sisson.

But when parallel constructions appear on each side of rather than, it is functioning like a conjunction: " ...implicating them, this time subtly rather than powerfully — J. I. M.Stewart"
(Merriam-Webster 797)

"Than is both a conjunction and a preposition…. In current usage than is more often a conjunction than a preposition... me after the preposition is more common in speech than in edited prose." (Merriam-Webster 892)

Rather "contains the comparative suffix -er but the original base rather (meaning "soon") has been lost, so that rather is no longer analysable as an inflectional comparative. It nevertheless retains clear semantic and syntactic affinities with ordinary comparative constructions." (Huddleston 1128)

Rather than – I'd rather resign than accept such humiliation. "Here it is an adverb with a comparative meaning: approximately "more readily, in preference to". There are also uses where this meaning is largely or wholly lost — a change facilitated by the fact that the morphological base rath- no longer occurs without the -er suffix." (Huddleston 1317)

Than — " The most usual position for the comparative is at the end of the clause containing the comparative phrase…" (1106); "Bob is more generous than Liz" — Liz can be regarded as a "reduced clause" or as an "immediate complement NP" (Huddleston 1113)

coordinator — when expressing preference
preposition.subordinator — when expressing avoidance

Rather than (Swan 491.1-4)

This structure is normally used in "parallel" structures: for example with two adjectives, adverbs, nouns, infinitives or -ing forms.

Rather than (Garner 694)

conjunction – requires parallel wording: "If we can, we will solve this problem diplomatically rather than forcibly."

preposition – can connect unparallel constructions: "But as a preposition , rather than can connect nonparallel constructions: "Rather than staying home on a Saturday night, we went out to six different bars."

"When rather than separates two verbs, it's often less awkward to convert the verbs to gerunds…but sometimes rather than appears between simple verbs…"

Works Cited

"Rather." Garner's Modern American Usage. by Bryan A. Garner, 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2009.

"Rather." The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. By Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum. Cambridge UP, 2002.

"Rather." Fowler's Modern English Usage. Edited by R. W. Burchfield and H. W. Fowler, revised 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2004.

"Rather than." Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Merriam-Webster. 2016, merriam-webster.com.

"Rather than. "Practical English Usage. By Swan, Michael. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.

Practice 1

Supermarket Grazing

Complete the sentence

Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 1-10" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.

Rather than lunch, Norman goes to the supermarket and eats food samples.

Feedback 1

In fact, he would rather spend a Saturday afternoon "grazing" at the supermarket than at home.

grazing – lightly eating while walking; mostly said of cattle, sheep and goats

Feedback 2

Norman arrives at the supermarket, picks up a hand-basket and walks down the isle. He goes to the back of the store rather than to find a tasting table.

Feedback 3

Norman prefers to stand and chat with a person offering samples rather than .

Feedback 4

Complimenting the food server rather than is a great way to get additional samples.
compliment (V) – express praise or admiration

Feedback 5

Giving away food samples in the store rather than is a better way to introduce a product to shoppers.

Feedback 6

Norman would prefer to take his time to through the fresh fruit section.

Feedback 7

Norman is a person who loves rather than fruit. He tastes every sample of peach, cherry , plum and berry.

Feedback 8

Rather than fill his basket, he his mouth with tasty cut-up pieces of cheese.

Feedback 9

10.

In fact, he'd rather miss a Saturday soccer game than tasting cheese in the deli section.

give up (V) – no have, go without

Feedback 10

Weinberg, Gary. "The Definitive Guide for Food Grazing (for free) at Costco." 26 Mar 2010. Web. goodgreasyeats.com/the-definitive-guide-for-food-grazing-for-free-at-costco/.

Rather than

Compare preferences

Would prefer X to Y / Would prefer X rather than Y

Would Rather

Asking and Stating Preference

Rather X or Y? / Rather X than Y

Rather than

Expressing Preference vs. Avoidance

Rather than — preference / Rather than — avoidance

Rather than

Verb Complements

Rather than – Preference / Rather than – Avoidance

Rather than + Complement

Initial clause and wording

Rather than verb… / Rather than verb-ing…

Rather than + Complement

Judgment vs. Observation

Rather than verb… / Rather than verb-ing…

Rather than and Instead of

Complements—a variety of word forms

A preposition can be complemented by a wide variety of structures.

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

Error and Solution

Grammar Notes (Advanced)

Traditional Grammar and Linguistic Description

Traditional / ESL and Linguistic Descriptions

Works Cited

Practice 1

Supermarket Grazing

Complete the sentence

Practice 2

Ways to Survive Making a Holiday Meal

Decide whether the wording of the sentence is "correct or incorrect" (formal / formal; preferred/ not preferred).