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Hela Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Would rather

Dear teachers,

What are the different uses of "would rather" ?

Would rather In the past:

a) would rather + perfect infinitive: if there is only a subject.

e.g. We went by sea but I’d rather have gone by air.
(I wanted to go by air, but didn’t get my wish)

b) if there is 1 subject + 1 object : it doesn’t change ?

e.g. I would rather you have gone by air (?)

Would you have other examples ?

Many thanks,
Hela
  

Top answer

No. b) is "Id rather you had gone by air. The construction with "I 'd rather" is either + bare infinitive (present or past) when there is only one subject/when the subject is the same EG: I'd rather do it myself I'd rather have have done it myself (I would have preferred to do it myself) or with what I call "modal preterite" when there are 2 subjects EG: I'd rather you did it yourself I'd rather you had done it yourself WHAT is the current name for a "modal preterite"?

— Pieanne

  • No.
  • b) is "Id rather you had gone by air.
  • The construction with "I 'd rather" is either + bare infinitive (present or past) when there is only one subject/when the subject is the same EG: I'd rather do it myself I'd rather have have done it myself (I would have preferred to do it myself) or with what I call "modal preterite" when there are 2 subjects EG: I'd rather you did it yourself I'd rather you had done it yourself WHAT is the current name for a "modal preterite"?
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21 Answers
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No.
b) is "Id rather you had gone by air.

The construction with "I 'd rather" is either
+ bare infinitive (present or past) when there is only one subject/when the subject is the same
EG: I'd rather do it myself
I'd rather have have done it myself (I would have preferred to do it myself)

or with what I call "modal preterite" when there are 2 su
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Sorry, I meant "HAD gone" (past perfect) in both cases i.e. whether we have one subject or two = to express a regret.

a) I went by sea but I would rather had gone by air.

b) They went by sea but I would rather they had gone by air. (= no change)

Am I right ?


On the other hand
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With "would rather", you have two possible constructions.

1. Only one subject/the same subject = I = "would rather + bare infinitive"
"I'd rather go by plane" = (present infinitive)"I still have the choice, and my favourite is the plane"
"I'd rather have gone by plane"= (past infinitive) I travelled by boat, but I wish I had travelled by plane", ye
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Now, What do you think of the following sentences. Are they correct ?

1) I would have done better to arrive earlier.
2) It would have been better if you had arrived earlier.

Are they equivalent to :

3) You would rather have arrived earlier.
4) I would rather you had arrived earlier.

Thank you
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1) I would have done better to arrive earlier : not correct; you can say "I wish I had arrived earlier"/ "I should have arrived earlier"

2) It would have been better if you had arrived earlier : correct, but a shorter way is "I wish you had arrived earlier"
Are they equivalent to :

3) You would rather have arrived earlier.
4) I would rather you had arri
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Hello Hela, hello Pieanne,

I would look at it slightly differently:

1) I would have done better to arrive earlier.
– this is correct; it makes a comparison (arriving earlier vs arriving when I in fact arrived) and states the better option.

2) It would have been better if you had arrived earlier.
– yes, fine. This is a type 3 conditional.

3) You
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Sorry, Hela, sorry MrP...
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Well, 'I would rather' is a very peculiar construction (cf. 'Would that I had come earlier!').

At first glance, Hela's #4 looks like an ellipsis of some kind:

1. I would rather (that it were true that) you had arrived earlier

But then we're still left with 'would' followed by 'that'.

I wonder whether it derives directly from the older meaning of 'will/would
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1) Sorry I think I have made a mistake. What I meant is that:

'I would have done better to arrive earlier' = I would rather have arrived earlier = It would have been better if I had arrived earlier.

correct ?


2) I would rather you had arrived earlier =

a) I would have preferred you had arrived earlier ?
b) I wish / c) I whish
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That's quite all right, Hela – it's a very tricky formation.

1) 'I would have done better to arrive earlier' is similar to 'I should have arrived earlier' or 'It would have been better if I had arrived earlier'; but 'I would have done better...' has an indefinable air of self-reproach or of 'kicking oneself'.

2) 'I would rather you had arrived earlier' is similar 'I would hav
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