文章主要探讨了"instead of"和"instead"这两个表达方式在词性、用法和发音上的差异。首先，它们的词性不同："instead of"是介词短语，后接名词或动名词，如"he chose to help others with their study instead of going home"，而"instead"是副词，用于修饰动词或整个句子。在用法上，"instead of"可以独立构成结构，如并列句，如"he chose to help others instead of going home"，而"instead"则需要依赖主句来确定其语义，如"He didn't answer me but asked another"。在发音上，两者也有区别，分别为"instead of"的[iˈnsted ɔv]和"instead"的[ɪnˈstɛd]。此外，"replace"虽然也有代替的意思，但它是一个动词，如"replaces"，"replacing"等，用于替换某个物品或任务，如"The council tax replaces the poll tax"或"The shower has broken and we cannot afford to replace it"。