Rather than ing/to ???

Hi teachers,

I read both:

  1. Why didn’t you ask for help, rather than trying to do it on your own?
  2. In order to do honour to my country rather than to reward me…?

I even read:

  1. I think I’d like to stay at home this evening rather than go out.

I am confused.

Many thanks in advance

In sentences like #1 and #3 you hear both the “rather than trying/going” and “rather than try/go” styles. To me, both styles are acceptable but the latter seems more polished, especially in more formal settings.

In full, #2 means “In order to do honour to my country rather than in order to reward me”. This sounds a bit laborious, so the second “in order” has been deleted, but “to” has been retained.