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RATHER - RATHER THAN - WOULD RATHER It is often difficult for learners of English to know when to use 'rather', 'rather than' or 'would rather'. The explanation below should help clarify things.
RATHER: 'Rather' is an adverb of degree like ‘fairly’, ‘quite’, etc. that can be used with nouns, adverbs, adjectives and superlatives.• That’s
rather a nuisance!
• He cooks
rather well.
• She’s got
a rather nice voice.
• That’s
rather more than I expected to pay.
OR RATHER :
When we want to correct what we have just said, or make it more precise, we often use the expression ‘or rather’.• His son is a doctor,
or rather, a surgeon.
To talk about preferences there are two structures: '
rather than' and '
would rather'.
RATHER THAN : • It would be better to go in September
rather than in August.
• I prefer to leave now
rather than wait for all the speeches.
• He decided to write
rather than telephone.
WOULD RATHER : The expression ‘would rather’ is followed by the bare infinitive (the infinitive without ‘to’).•
Would you rather live here or go back to London?
I’d rather live here.
(= I would prefer
to live here.)
• I don't want to go to the swimming pool.
I’d rather go to the beach.
(= I would prefer
to go to the beach.)
To say that one person would prefer
another person to do something, ‘would rather’ is generally followed by a
past tense.• Don’t come on Monday. I’d rather
you came on Tuesday.
To express regret about something that has already happened, ‘would rather’ is followed by the past perfect.•
I’d rather you hadn’t done that = I wish you hadn’t done that.
-ING forms: When the main clause has a verb in the –ing form, ‘rather than’ can be followed by –ing.• I prefer
getting up early
rather than rushing at the last minute.
Be careful to note the following: I'd rather + bare infinitive
usually means 'I'd prefer', as in the following example:
◊ I’d rather have a cup of tea. = I’d prefer
to have a cup of tea / I'd prefer a cup of tea.
BUT, with certain verbs - like/enjoy/appreciate - the meaning changes a little:
◊ I'd rather
have a beer = I'd
prefer to have a beer.
◊ I’d rather
like a beer = I’d
quite like a beer / I would enjoy a beer.
