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What is “would rather”? The structures and usage of “would rather” in English
“Would Rather" is considered an important English grammatical item. This phrase is also employed to express preferences besides words like "Like," "Love," and "Prefer." In what situations is "Would Rather" used? Does it typically go with an infinitive verb ("to V") or a verb-ing form after it? This article will reveal all these myths. Let's explore together with PREP!
I. What is “would rather”?
1. Definition
What is “would rather”? According to Cambridge Dictionary, “Would rather” is used to show that you prefer to have or do one thing more than another. Below are some “would rather” examples:
- Which would you rather do – go fishing or play badminton?
- I’d rather have a banana than an apple.
- He‘d rather fail than let me think he needed help.
2. Abbreviations of “would rather”
From the three aforementioned examples, it is clear that "would rather" can be abbreviated as "d rather". Below is a table of abbreviations for “would rather” for different subjects in both affirmative and negative sentences:
Abbreviations of “would rather” | |
I would rather (not) | I’d rather (not) |
You would rather (not) | You’d rather (not) |
We would rather (not) | We’d rather (not) |
They would rather (not) | They’d rather (not) |
He would rather (not) | He’d rather (not) |
She would rather (not) | She’d rather (not) |
It would rather (not) | It’d rather (not) |
II. How to use “would rather”
Here are some key points about the use of “would rather” in English. Keep an eye out for more details!
1. One subject in a sentence
1.1. Would rather
“Would rather”, which can be translated as "preferring something/doing something" or "wanting something/doing something", is commonly used when expressing someone's desires or preferences.
Structure | Example | |
Affirmative (+) | S + would rather + V-inf | She would rather go to the beach. |
Negative (-) | S + would rather + not + V-inf | He would rather not watch horror movies. |
Interrogative (?) | Would + S + rather + V-inf? | Would she rather have tea or coffee for breakfast? |
“Would rather” is also employed to express regret for something that has happened.
| Structure | Example |
Affirmative (+) | S + would rather + have + V3 | I would rather have finished my work before leaving. (In fact, I didn’t finish my work before leaving.) |
Negative (-) | S + would rather + not + have + V3 | He would rather not have taken that risk. (In fact, he took that risk.) |
Interrogative (?) | Would + S + rather + have + V3 | Would you rather have studied abroad? (In fact, you didn’t study abroad.) |
1.2. Would rather … than …
Apart from "Would rather" implying a preference for something, "Would rather ... than" compares two things, indicating a preference for one over the other, implying a preference for something more than something else. See the below table for more information:
Structure | Example | |
Present tenses | S + would rather (not) + N/V-inf + than + N/V-inf | I would rather stay at home than go to the party |
Past tenses | S + would rather (not) + have + V3 + than V-inf. | He would rather have finished his work than procrastinate. |
2. Two subjects in a sentence
2.1. “Would rather” in the present/future tenses
“Would rather” can also be used to express desires or choices when used with "that". Take a look at the table below for more clarity on this usage.
Structure | Example | |
Affirmative (+) | S1 + would rather (that) + S2 + V-ed | I would rather she arrived early for the meeting. |
Negative (+) | S1 + would rather (that) + S2 + did not + V | They would rather their parents did not find out about the party. |
Interrogative (?) | Would + S + rather + S2 + V-ed | Would he rather they went to the beach this weekend? |
2.2. “Would rather that” in the past tenses
“Would rather that” uses the past tense to express desires, regrets, or assumptions about something in the past. The structure is as follows:
Structure | Example | |
Affirmative (+) | S1 + would rather (that) + S2+ had + V3 | I would rather you had finished the report by now. |
Negative (+) | S1 + would rather (that) + S2+ hadn’t + V3 | I would rather you hadn’t told him about the surprise party. |
Interrogative (?) | Would + S + rather + S2 + had + V3? | Would you rather he had finished the project earlier? |
3. “Would much rather” for emphasis
"would much rather" is used to emphasize our preference for one thing (over something else). For example:
- I’d much rather make a phone call than send an email.
- She’d much rather they didn’t know about what had happened.
4. “Would rather not” in place of “No”
In addition, instead of using "No" to decline invitations, requests, or suggestions to do something, we can choose "Would rather not" as an alternative. For example:
- A: Do you want to go for a coffee?
- B: I’d rather not, if you don’t mind.
III. A Comparison between Would rather, Would prefer and Prefer
Would rather, Would prefer and Prefer are often confused in terms of use. What are the distinguishing features of each? Let's explore together the similarities and differences between these three structures with PREP.
Similarities | All three structures - Would rather, Would prefer, and Prefer - convey the meaning of liking something or preferring to do something (over something else/rather than doing something else). For example:
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Differences | Structure | Example | |
| Would rather | Present:
Past tenses:
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| Would prefer |
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| Prefer |
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IV. Exercises on “would rather” with detailed answers
Below are practice exercises for you to apply the theories you have learned. Try to do them yourself and check the answer below!
1. Exercise: Give the correct form of the verbs in parentheses
- He would rather (play) video games than (study) for the exam.
- Mary would rather her brother (not join) the military.
- The children prefer (play) in the park to (stay) indoors.
- The boss would rather the employees (finish) the report today.
- We would rather (go) to the beach last weekend.
- She would prefer (live) in a small town instead of a big city.
- We would prefer (have) the meeting in the morning.
- He would rather (stay up) late last night.
- I prefer (watch) movies to (read) books.
- The teacher would rather the students (pay) more attention in the last lesson.
2. Answer keys
- play – study
- didn’t join
- playing – staying
- finish/finished/have finished/had finished
- have gone
- to live
- to have
- have stayed up
- watching – reading
- had paid
In this article, PREP provided details about "Would rather". Hopefully, this information will help you quickly master more important English grammar aspects. Best of luck to everyone!
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