“But (something) instead” versus “but instead (something)”

Question

Please consider the sentences:

They do not overpower the city, but empower it instead.

They do not overpower the city, but instead empower it.

I'm doubting the use of but + instead. Is either incorrect syntactically? If not, which one reads better? NB: it is for an academic paper.

Irene · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-23 11:43:19Z

3

They are both correct syntactically. In terms of style, the best sentence to use for your purpose is the one with instead in the end.

answered Dec 23 '11 at 11:43

Irene

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+1 because they are both correct syntactically. The comment about style, though, is completely subjective. – slim Dec 23 '11 at 12:36
Note that if there were a long phrase replacing "empower it", you would definitely want to use "but instead ...". – Peter Shor Dec 23 '11 at 14:09
The instead is just an intensifier: "They do not overpower the city, but empower it." would work, as would "They do not overpower, but empower, the city." – JeffSahol Dec 23 '11 at 14:53

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Kris · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-23 11:41:39Z

0

The first expression is correct by itself.
The second one would be correct with a comma:
...city, but instead, empower it.

In the second instance, you may see a slight difference of meaning or shift of emphasis. Syntactically they would be very different I suppose.

answered Dec 23 '11 at 11:41

Kris

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1

The use of commas here would be a matter of style, not of syntax. – Irene Dec 23 '11 at 11:44

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