What Part Of Speech Is Instead Of?

Instead of is a compound preposition that shows one choice replacing another in a sentence.

Many learners type “what part of speech is instead of?” into a search box and get mixed answers. Some pages talk about adverbs, others talk about prepositions, and the whole thing can feel more confusing than the phrase itself. This article clears that up in a simple, classroom-ready way.

By the end, you will know exactly how to label instead of, how it behaves in real sentences, how it differs from instead on its own, and where students usually slip. You will also get practice sentences and a quick error table you can use for teaching or self-study.

What Part Of Speech Is Instead Of?

The phrase instead of is a preposition. More precisely, many grammar books group it under compound prepositions: a group of words that work together as a single preposition. The phrase introduces an alternative or replacement, just as single-word prepositions like besides or except do.

In a sentence such as “She drank water instead of soda,” the phrase instead of links the verb drank with the noun soda. The whole prepositional phrase instead of soda answers the question “in place of what?” That linking job is exactly what a preposition does.

Teachers also meet the question “what part of speech is instead of?” when they mark essays or prepare lessons on prepositions. Once you treat the phrase as a preposition, the patterns around it stop feeling mysterious and turn into simple grammar you can test and explain.

What Part Of Speech Is Instead Of In English Grammar?

Standard reference works treat instead of as a preposition. The Cambridge Dictionary entry for “instead of” labels it as a preposition meaning “in place of someone or something,” and gives examples such as “You can go instead of me.”

Likewise, the Merriam-Webster definition of “instead of” calls it a preposition meaning “in place of; as a substitute for or alternative to.” Many university grammar handouts group instead of with other multi-word prepositions such as in front of, on top of, and in spite of.

So the short grammatical label is: compound preposition. In analysis tasks, you can simply write “preposition” for part of speech, then note that it is made of more than one word.

Use Of “Instead Of”	Pattern	Example Sentence
Replacing a noun	instead of + noun	He ordered pasta instead of pizza.
Replacing a pronoun	instead of + pronoun	You can go instead of me.
Replacing a noun phrase	instead of + noun phrase	They met online instead of in person.
Replacing an action	instead of + gerund	We watched a film instead of studying.
Showing a better choice	clause + instead of + noun	She chose a salad instead of fries.
Polite suggestion	How about + noun + instead of + noun	How about tea instead of coffee?
Soft criticism	Instead of + gerund, clause	Instead of complaining, try a new plan.
Contrast in time	Instead of + gerund, past clause	Instead of leaving early, he stayed late.

Breaking Down Instead And Instead Of

Learners often mix up instead and instead of, because they look similar but belong to different parts of speech. Once you separate their roles, your sentence choices become much clearer.

Instead As An Adverb

The single word instead is an adverb. It often sits at the end of a clause: “I stayed home instead.” Here it replaces the whole earlier idea, not a specific noun phrase. Dictionaries describe this adverb use with meanings like “as a substitute” and “as an alternative to something expressed or implied.”

You can move adverb instead to other positions too: “Instead, I stayed home,” or “I instead stayed home.” In each case, the word comments on the choice of action rather than linking a noun to another part of the sentence.

Instead Of As A Compound Preposition

The phrase instead of changes the job. It no longer comments on a whole clause; it now links a following word or phrase to the rest of the sentence, so it functions as a preposition. Many grammar overviews list instead of beside other compound prepositions such as according to, next to, and because of.

The object of instead of can be a noun, a pronoun, a noun phrase, or a gerund phrase. That object fits into the sentence as the thing that did not happen, or the thing that was not chosen:

Noun: “He bought juice instead of soda.”
Pronoun: “She spoke to him instead of me.”
Noun phrase: “We sat in the shade instead of the sun.”
Gerund: “They walked instead of taking the bus.”

In each example, instead of forms a prepositional phrase that answers “what was replaced?” or “what action was skipped?” The phrase acts as a single preposition even though it contains more than one word.

How Instead Of Works In A Sentence

Knowing the part of speech is only half of the story. To feel confident when you write or teach, you also need to see how instead of behaves inside real sentences.

Object Of Instead Of

Every preposition needs an object, and instead of is no exception. The object normally comes right after the phrase:

“We watched a film instead of the news.” (the news is the object.)
“She texted instead of calling.” (calling is a gerund phrase acting as the object.)
“They went by train instead of by plane.” (by plane is the object.)

If you remove the object, the sentence feels incomplete: “We watched a film instead of … what?” That gap is a simple way to show students that instead of works as a preposition, not as a stand-alone adverb.

Position Of Instead Of In A Clause

The prepositional phrase with instead of usually stays near the element it contrasts with. It can appear at the end of the clause or before the main clause:

End position: “He drove instead of taking the bus.”
Fronted phrase: “Instead of taking the bus, he drove.”

When you place the phrase at the front, set it off with a comma. When it appears at the end, no comma is needed in neutral sentences. This pattern matches the usual rules for fronted prepositional phrases in English.

Instead Of With Gerunds

One common pattern is instead of + gerund. In this pattern, the gerund phrase names an action that did not happen. The main clause describes what happened in its place:

“Instead of watching television, they played cards.”
“She listened to a podcast instead of reading the article.”
“We stayed in instead of going out.”

Teachers like this pattern because it connects prepositions with verb patterns. Students can check themselves by asking, “Can I put a noun here?” If the answer is yes, then a gerund also fits after instead of.

Instead Of With Nouns And Pronouns

Another frequent pattern is instead of + noun or pronoun. Here the phrase marks a different person or thing, not a different activity:

“You can speak to the assistant instead of the manager.”
“They invited us instead of them.”
“The team met in a café instead of the office.”

Notice that the prepositional phrase still behaves as a single unit. It can move as a block and still keep its meaning: “Instead of the manager, you can speak to the assistant.” The role in the sentence stays clear.

Common Mistakes With Instead Of

Once learners know that instead of is a preposition, many errors disappear. Some habits linger, though, especially when writers mix the adverb instead with the preposition phrase.

Using Instead When Instead Of Is Needed

Writers sometimes drop the word of by mistake. That changes the part of speech and leaves the noun phrase hanging:

✗ “She chose tea instead coffee.”
✓ “She chose tea instead of coffee.”

Whenever a noun, pronoun, or gerund comes right after the phrase, you need the full preposition instead of, not the adverb instead alone.

Extra Words Around Instead Of

Another error adds extra prepositions or tiny filler words around the phrase:

✗ “He worked on instead of to resting.”
✗ “She stayed in instead for going out.”

Those extra words break the clean pattern. The phrase already includes its own preposition, so you can follow it directly with a noun or gerund phrase:

✓ “He worked instead of resting.”
✓ “She stayed in instead of going out.”

Instead Of Versus Rather Than

Rather than often appears in the same types of sentences as instead of, and many learners treat them as exact substitutes. The match is close, but not perfect. Rather than fits more easily in formal writing and can link two full clauses: “Rather than leave early, he stayed until the end.”

In contrast, instead of usually introduces a noun phrase or a gerund phrase and sits inside a single clause. You can say “He stayed instead of leaving early,” but “instead of” would not normally link two independent clauses on its own in careful written English.

Mistake Type	Incorrect Sentence	Better Sentence
Missing “of”	She read a blog instead a book.	She read a blog instead of a book.
Extra preposition	They stayed home instead for going out.	They stayed home instead of going out.
Wrong object form	He spoke to I instead of me.	He spoke to her instead of me.
No clear contrast	He smiled instead of.	He smiled instead of complaining.
Confused with “instead”	Instead of he stayed, he left.	Instead of leaving, he stayed.
Confused with “rather than”	Instead of he stay, he left.	Rather than stay, he left.
Wrong word order	He instead of left early.	He left early instead of staying.

Quick Practice With Instead Of

At this point you know that instead of is a compound preposition and you have seen how it links choices in a sentence. A short set of practice items will help fix the pattern in your memory.

Fill In The Blanks

Try adding instead or instead of in the spaces. Pay special attention to what comes after the gap.

She decided to walk ______ taking a taxi.
We stayed in and cooked dinner ______ going to a restaurant.
They chose the blue logo ______ the green one.
He planned to study, but he played games ______.
________ buying new shoes, try cleaning the ones you have.

Sample answers:

“She decided to walk instead of taking a taxi.”
“We stayed in and cooked dinner instead of going to a restaurant.”
“They chose the blue logo instead of the green one.”
“He planned to study, but he played games instead.”
“Instead of buying new shoes, try cleaning the ones you have.”

Rewrite Sentences With Instead Of

Next, turn each pair of ideas into one sentence that uses instead of correctly.

He drank coffee. He did not drink tea.
They took the train. They did not fly.
She watched a tutorial. She did not read the manual.
The class met online. The class did not meet in the classroom.

Short Answer Key

Possible versions include:

“He drank coffee instead of tea.”
“They took the train instead of flying.”
“She watched a tutorial instead of reading the manual.”
“The class met online instead of in the classroom.”

Recap Of What Part Of Speech Is Instead Of?

The phrase instead of acts as a compound preposition. It introduces a direct alternative and takes a noun, pronoun, noun phrase, or gerund phrase as its object. Reference works, including modern learner dictionaries and university writing guides, group it with other multi-word prepositions used to link choices in a sentence.

Once you treat instead of as a preposition, you can explain its patterns clearly, show how it differs from adverb instead, and help learners avoid common slips such as missing the word of. That simple label answers “What part of speech is instead of?” in a way that matches modern grammar references and classroom practice.