How do I convey that someone's preference ("would rather") was in the past?

Question

I am confused about how to make "would rather" past tense when the preference itself is in the past. For instance, take this example:

"She was furious. She would rather he had told her about the money earlier."

This was in the past. She is no longer furious and doesn't hold that preference any more, so how do I show that?Do I need to write "She would have rather" here to convey the sense that the preference was in the past?

The best source I can find on the subject is this: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/would-rather-would-sooner. However, even this doesn't address my specific concern. It simply says to use the past perfect in the second clause—as I have done in my example—when the two clauses have different subjects and the action of the second clause is in the past. But I don't feel as though that conveys precisely what I mean.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Here is a better resource for you to consider.

https://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/verbal-rather

The following is grammatical, but as the resource above explains, this construction is quite variable in everyday use, the verb "prefer" being more frequently used.

"She was furious. She would have rathered him (to) tell her about the money earlier."

CalifJim · Answer

JJDouglasDo I need to write "She would have rather" here to convey the sense that the preference was in the past?

Yes. It's not a very common usage, but it does exist.

Found online:

I would have rather stayed on the cruiser forever.
They would have rather lost all their worldly goods.
I would have rather been outside running in the woods.

would have rathered is used even less often — much less often. I strongly recommend against it.

I would have rathered you never knew.

CJ

How do I convey that someone's preference ("would rather") was in the past?

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