Rather than / Instead of

[madhukara77]

Hello Experts -

Kindly let me know, if my understanding is correct -

- Rather than is used in case of preference. (I will have chocolate rather than ice cream)
- Instead of is used for replacement/priority. (Instead of approach x team took approach y).

Is there any this else to differentiate "Rather than" and "Instead of"

Thanks ,
Madhukar Amar

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Sorry for the delay in replying here. I think your analysis is correct. There's a big overlap between the phrases 'instead of' and 'rather than': I reckon that both your examples would work with either phrase. Although it's a good discipline to reflect on language and think how we use it, remember that GMAT will not test you on especially subtle or subjective areas of grammar and meaning. I haven't seen a GMAT problem in which you need to distinguish between those two phrases. If you have, please let me know.