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SuperESL Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Rather than
Hi,
Are there any rules governing when the verb that follows "rather than" should use '-ing' and when it should not?
One says: "Rather than using dried herbs, he picked fresh ones from the garden." (would it be wrong to say "rather than use dried herbs......" here?)
But also: "Rather than continue the argument, she walked away." (would it be wrong to say "rather than continung the argument......" here?)
Does it matter which form I use?
Thank you.
Are there any rules governing when the verb that follows "rather than" should use '-ing' and when it should not?
One says: "Rather than using dried herbs, he picked fresh ones from the garden." (would it be wrong to say "rather than use dried herbs......" here?)
But also: "Rather than continue the argument, she walked away." (would it be wrong to say "rather than continung the argument......" here?)
Does it matter which form I use?
Thank you.
Top answer
Almost identical in meaning. Using typically means immediately doing it. (ancient humans used stone tools vs.
- Almost identical in meaning.
- Using typically means immediately doing it.
- (ancient humans used stone tools vs.
- ancient humans were using stone tools).
- Use means, in general, it can be used in past, present of future.
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2 Answers
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Almost identical in meaning. Using typically means immediately doing it. (ancient humans used stone tools vs. ancient humans were using stone tools). Use means, in general, it can be used in past, present of future. In a recipe, they are often used interchangeably, because you are currently doing (using) what can be used.
Wow, I'm a native English speaker and that confused me!
Wow, I'm a native English speaker and that confused me!
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