The usage of instead of // English Grammar

[Irina]

Hi,

I'm not sure about this so I thought I'd ask. Do we need -ing after 'instead of'?

[linguaholic]

good afternoon irina

yes, if there is a verb after instead of, you will have to use a gerund.

sample sentence:

I would rather use a baseball bat to kick your ass instead of using a pistol    :wacky:

I try to give a funny example so you are more likely to remember it, hehe

If you use instead without of, it is an adverb. As a preposition, instead is never used alone. So, in this case, you will always need to use instead of.

[dtommy79]

If you use instead without of, put at the beginning or end of the sentence. i.e.

He didn't reply. Instead, he turned around and left.

[Mark Skype Teacher]

Irina,

In addition to what the others have rightly indicated, if 'instead' is followed by a noun then you will need the preposition 'of'... e.g. 'Instead of a car, I will buy a boat'.

All the best.