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Use of Would Rather

Would rather is used to express preferences in English and is interchangeable with would prefer. It is commonly used in short dialogues to state or ask about preferences when making a choice between two options. While "rather" is not a verb, the expression "would rather" is used to refer to a preferred action and is usually followed by a verb in base form. It can refer to present or future preferences. When making a choice between two specific actions or objects, "would rather" is often used with "than". It can also be used to express what one person prefers for another, taking the past tense form of the preferred action.

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Pam Evans
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46 views

Use of Would Rather

Would rather is used to express preferences in English and is interchangeable with would prefer. It is commonly used in short dialogues to state or ask about preferences when making a choice between two options. While "rather" is not a verb, the expression "would rather" is used to refer to a preferred action and is usually followed by a verb in base form. It can refer to present or future preferences. When making a choice between two specific actions or objects, "would rather" is often used with "than". It can also be used to express what one person prefers for another, taking the past tense form of the preferred action.

Uploaded by

Pam Evans
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Use of .. Would Rather ..

grammar notes

Would rather is used to express a preference in English. Would rather is the same in meaning as would prefer. These two phrases are used interchangeably to express a preference when making a choice. Here are some examples of short conversations that use would rather to either state or ask for a preference. Example Dialogues John: Let's go out tonight. Mary: That's a good idea. John: How about going to a film? There's a new film out with Tom Hanks. Mary: I'd rather go out for dinner. I'm hungry! Sue: I'm not sure which topic to choose for my essay. Debby: Well, what are your choices? Sue: I can write about the economy or about a book. Debby: Which would you rather write about? Would Rather - Structure The form would rather is a little strange because 'rather' is not a verb but is part of an expression that means 'would prefer to'. 'Rather' is usually immediately followed by a verb in base form (verb without 'to'). It's common to use would rather in the shortened 'd rather form in positive statements. All subjects take 'would rather'. Would rather can be used to refer to the present moment or a future moment in time. Positive Subject + would rather ('d rather) + base form of verb Peter'd rather spend time on the beach. I would rather learn a new language than study math. Question Would + subject + rather + base form of verb Would you rather stay at home? Would they rather do homework tomorrow morning? Would Rather - Than Would rather is often used with 'than' with two verbs or objects when making a choice between two specific actions. Would you rather work for Tom than for Mary? She would rather play tennis than go horseback riding.

Would Rather - For Other People Would rather is also used to express what one person prefers another person to do. The structure is unusual because it takes the past for the preferred action. Here are some examples: Tom would rather Mary bought a SUV. Would you rather she stayed here with us? Positive Subject + would rather ('d rather) + object + past tense I would rather my son worked in finance. Susan would rather Peter took a plane. Question Would + subject + rather + object + past tense Would she rather her sister flew home tomorrow? Would you rather he came with us to the meeting? Positive Subject + would rather ('d rather) + object + negative past tense I'd rather she didn't come with us today. Tim would rather Peter didn't join the company.

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