一、would rather do sth. 含义：
“would rather do sth.”是英语中常见的一个固定惯用句式（美国英语中多用had rather）。
would（或had）rather的缩写形式为 ：‘d rather。
“would (had) rather”中的would并无过去的意思。
该句式常用来表示选择的意愿，意为“宁可……”、“宁愿……”、“最好……”。
例：
I would rather take the plane.
我更愿意乘飞机去。
I would rather stay at home.
我宁愿待在家里。
They want a house, whereas we would rather live in a flat.
他们想要一所房子，我们则宁愿住一套房间。
Wouldn't you rather stay at home?
你不愿意呆在家里吗？
I personally would rather roast a chicken whole.
我个人更愿意烤整只鸡。
She'd rather not go there by bus.
她宁愿不坐车去那里。
I'd rather not take the money.
我宁愿不拿钱。
He would rather not answer that question.
他宁愿不回答那个问题。
He’d rather work in the countryside. 她宁可到农村去工作。
If you’d rather be alone, we’ll all leave here. 如果你宁愿独自呆着，那我们都离开这儿。
You would rather stay at home and do some reading this evening. 今晚你最好呆在家中读点书。
二、“would rather...than...”结构
would rather与than连用，可构成另一个惯用句式，即：“would rather...than....”，意为“宁可（愿）……（而）不要（愿）……”、“与其……不如……”。用以表达主语的意愿，强调经过选择后做其中一件事，而不愿做另一件事。往往选择做前面的一件事。要注意这里的“平行结构”，也有人称“对称结构”，即在than 的前后要用两个同类的词或词组，如两个n、两个不定式、两个介短等。
例如：
They would rather work than live on welfare.
他们宁愿工作而不愿靠社会保障金过活。
Kids would rather play than study.
孩子们宁愿玩也不愿学习。
He would rather shoot himself than compromise his principles.
他宁愿一枪打死自己也不愿违背自己的原则。
He would rather be killed in a race than die a lingering death in hospital.
他宁肯在比赛中丢了性命也不愿在医院里苟延残喘。
I would rather pay for a meal than watch nine friends pick over and split a bill.
我宁可掏钱请客，也不愿看到9位朋友算来算去分摊账单。
I would rather stare at a clear, star-filled sky than a TV set.
我宁可凝视繁星满天的晴朗夜空也不愿盯着电视机。
She would rather perjure herself than admit to her sins.
她宁愿在法庭上撒谎也不愿承认她的罪行。
I would rather be honest with people than tell them that there is going to be some pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
我宁肯实话实说也不愿意给予他们不切实际的期望。
The soldiers vowed that they would rather die than surrender.
士兵们发誓宁死不降。
He would rather die than be a convict.
他宁愿死也不愿当囚犯。
We would rather withdraw the draft resolution than amend it.
与其修改决议草案，不如予以撤回。
He would rather die than live in dishonour.
他宁死不愿忍辱偷生。
Liu Hulan would rather die than surrender before the enemy.
刘胡兰在敌人面前宁死不屈。
She'd rather die than marry him.
她宁愿死也不愿嫁给他。
I'd rather live in the country than in the cities.
我宁愿住在乡下也不愿住在城市里。
I would rather go to work by bike than by bus. 我宁愿骑自行车也不愿乘公共汽车去上班.
I would rather talk with his mother than with his father. 我宁愿和他妈说话而不愿和他爸说话.
I would rather watch TV at home than go to the cinema. 我宁可在家看电视而不愿去看电影。
The children would rather walk there than take a bus. 孩子们宁愿步行去那里而不乘公共汽车。
在使用“would rather...than...”句型时，应注意以下几点：
1）、than 后接 动词原形，但如果该句型前后连接的两个动词相同，则than之后的那个动词可省去。
例如：
I’d rather you know that now than afterwards.
我宁可你现在就知道这件事，而不是以后。 （恢复原句：I’d rather you know that now than know afterwards.）
2）、would rather...than...也可改写“would...rather than...”，其用法及含义仍不变。 例如：
Facing the enemies, our soldiers would die rather than surrender. 面对敌人，我们的战士宁死不屈。
It would be better to transport the goods by rail rather than by road.
用铁路运送这批货物会比用公路好。
The children would walk there rather than take a bus. 孩子们宁愿步行去那里而不愿乘公共汽车.
3）、有时，为了表示语气上的强调，还可将rather than置于句首， 例如：
Rather than refuse to help you, I would borrow money from my friends. 我宁可向朋友借钱，也不愿拒绝帮助你。
Rather than work in such bad condition, he would give up. 与其在这样差的条件下工作,他宁愿放弃.
三、would rather …… or ……
用在问对方在两者之间的选择:
Would you rather have three kids or just one?
你想要三个孩子还是一个？
Would you rather live in the North or the South?
你宁愿住在北方还是南方？
Would you rather do the homework or watch TV?
你宁愿做作业还是看电视？
Would you rather walk or go by car?
你宁愿步行还是坐车去？
Would you rather stay here or go home? 你宁愿待在这儿还是回家？
Which would you rather have, apples or bananas?
你宁愿吃苹果还是香蕉？
would you prefer twin beds or a double?
你们喜欢一对单人床还是一张双人床？
四、would rather后可跟从句，表示主语“宁愿让某人干某事”。而从句谓语动词用虚拟语气，即从句用一般过去时表示现在或将来要做的事，从句过去完成时表示过去要做的事；这种would rather接宾语从句的虚拟语气是表示礼貌的探询或期望的语气，并不一定是表示与事实相反。
例如：
I’d rather she set out to do the work now.
我宁愿她现在就着手做这项工作。
I’d rather you met her at the airport tomorrow morning.
但愿你明天早上能在机场见到她。
I would rather (that) my son worked in finance.
我宁愿我儿子在金融界工作。
Would you rather (that) she came with us?
你宁愿她和我们一起去吗？
I'd rather (that) you came another time.
我宁愿你下次再来。
She would rather (that) he weren't so anxious to leave.
她宁可他不要急于离开。
I’d rather you hadn’t told him the news that day.
我真希望你那天没有把那消息告诉他。
I’d rather you had been present.
我宁愿你当时在场。
比较：
I would rather I bought the coat now.
我真希望（宁愿）现在买这件外套。
I would rather I had bought the coat last week.
我真希望我上周买了这件外套。
五、 would rather后接动词的完成式，表示宁愿过去做了某事，而实际上并没有做成，结果事与愿违的意思。例如：
I’d rather have left a note on her desk.
我本想留张字条在她书桌上的。（事实上没有留）
比较：
I’d rather I left a note on her desk.
我宁可留张字条在她的书桌上。（表示礼貌的探询或期望的语气）
would rather/sooner和would prefer后面都可跟完成式,但后者带to.
例 ：
We went by sea but I’d rather have gone by air=I’d prefer to have gone by air．
我们是乘船去的,可我本想乘飞机去.（我愿意乘飞机去,可我的愿望未能实现.）
这和 would like 不定式的完成式有点相似,would like 带to 的不定式的完成式也表示未能实现的愿望.
另外：would prefer或prefer引出的从句中谓语动词要使用现在虚拟式（be）或should 动词原形：
Would you prefer that I come on Monday instead of on Tuesday.
你是不是宁愿我星期一来而不是星期二来？
She preferred that he should do it in the kitchen.
她宁愿在厨房做这件事。
六、 would rather……than和prefer……to用法比较
He would rather drink wine than beer． = He prefers wine to beer．
他宁愿喝白酒也不愿喝啤酒。
would rather do...than do...
＝would do...rather than do...
＝rather than do...would...
＝prefer to do...rather than do...
=prefer (doing)sth to (doing)sth
宁愿做……也不愿做；与其做……倒不如做……
David prefers bananas to oranges. 与橘子比，大卫更喜欢香蕉。
I much prefer jazz to rock music.
我喜欢爵士乐远胜过摇滚乐。
My friends prefer singing to dancing.与跳舞相比，我的朋友们更喜欢唱歌。
Nowadays most kids prefer watching TV to reading.
现在大多数孩子都喜欢看电视而不喜欢读书。
In politics Britain has preferred evolution to revolution.
英国在政治上喜欢渐进而不喜欢革命。
Tom would rather/sooner read than talk． 汤姆宁可读书而不愿谈天.
Tom prefers reading to talking．汤姆喜欢读书而不喜欢谈天.
He prefers wine to beer．= He would rather drink wine than beer．
他喜欢喝红葡萄酒而不喜欢喝啤酒。
I prefer tennis to golf．= I’d rather play tennis than golf．
我喜欢打网球而不喜欢打高尔夫球。
