rather的用法和紧张短语剖析

rather的用法：rather作副词

作此意解的rather常和would / had连用,构成安稳短语。would / had rather...than译为宁愿......而不愿 ,应该特别注意此短语的否定构成及自后接的动词情势。如:

I would rather not tell you the secret right now. 我如今不愿把谁人奥密报告你。

He would rather have the small one than the large one. 他宁愿要一个小的,而不要大的。

I’d rather take the slowest train than go there by air. 我宁愿坐最慢的火车,也不乘飞机去那边。

would / had rather 后接从句时,从句中的谓语动词用假造语气。如:

I would / had rather you posted the letter right away, 我倒渴望你把这封信立刻发射。

I would / had rather that she had stayed at home. 她当时要是留在家里就好了。

rather的用法：rather作副词用时,意为更确切地

此用法的rather常用在or rather这一短语中,表现想要改正以前说过的话,或欲使已说过的话更确切。如:

The building is like a palace, or rather a temple. 这幢修建物像一座宫殿,大概更确切地说像一座寺庙。

He worked till late last night, or rather, early in the morning. 他不休事情到深夜,大概更确切地说,到今天清早。

rather的用法：rather作副词用时, 还可作相当;颇;有点儿解

You’ve done rather well.你做得相当好。

The way he is living is rather strange to me. 他的生存办法我以为很怪。

rather, fairly, quite, pretty的区别:

1. 从水平上说, fairly是最轻的一个;quite比fairly 语气稍强;rather 在水平上比quite更重一些;pretty 和rather 差不多,但大大多情况下用于非正式文体。如:

They were getting along fairly well with each other. 他们相处还不错。

Twenty-five is pretty old to take up ballet dancing.二十五岁才学跳芭蕾,年岁就太大了。

He was quite polite, but he wasn’t ready to help me. 他相当有端正,但他并不乐意协助我。

There’s something rather strange about the way he talks to you. 他跟你语言的样子真有点怪。

2. rather 和quite可放在不定冠词前,也可放在不定冠词之后,还可以和动词连用,而fairly 和pretty没有这些用法。如:

That is quite / rather a surprising result. =That is a quite / rather surprising result. 那是一个相当惊人的后果。

I rather / quite like to go for a walk after supper. 我颇喜幸而晚饭后出去安步。

3. 仅有rather可以修饰比力级,还可和too连用。如:

This computer is rather more expensive than that one.这部电脑比那部昂贵一些。

This book is rather too difficult for the beginners.这部书对初学者来说太难了。

rather的用法：rather than 的用法

rather 不仅是一个表现水平的副词,还能用来表现选择,意为而非;(与其......)倒不如。rather than 常常用在平行布局里,即毗连两个对等因素。

I’d prefer to go in August rather than July. 我愿八月去,不愿七月去。

I decided to write rather than telephone. 我决定写信而不打电话。

I’d call her hair chestnut rather than brown. 我宁愿说她的头发是栗色,而不是棕色。

We ought to invest in new machines rather than buildings. 我们应该在新的机器上而不是在衡宇上投资。

Rather than get money in such a dishonest way, he would beg in the streets. 他宁愿在街上乞讨,也不愿以这种不合法的伎俩挣钱。

I always prefer starting early, rather than leaving everything to the last minute. 我总是乐意早开头而不乐意把一切事变都留到最初。

rather习气用语及搭配情势

1. would rather 宁可，宁愿

(1) would rather后接动词本相;表否定时，后接not +动词本相：

I'll never be dependent on anyone again. I would rather starve (than be dependent on anyone else).

我再也不依托任何人了。我宁愿饿死(也不靠他人)。

John really dislikes dancing. He would rather not go dancing with his wife.

约翰的确不喜好舞蹈。他宁可不和妻子一同去舞蹈。

(2) would rather接that从句，从句用假造语气，即用寻常已往时表现如今或将来的举措或形态，用已往完成时表现已往的举措或形态。如:

I'd rather (that) you set out to do the task now.

我宁愿你如今就动手这项事情。

(与如今相反用已往时set)

I'd rather you picked her up at the airport tomorrow morning.

我宁愿你明早去机场接她。

(与将来相反与用已往时picked)

与已往相反

I'd rather you had not told her the news that day.

我宁愿你那天没报告她这个消息。

(与将来相反用已往完成时had done)

(3) 变体情势：would rather do ... than do ... 宁可……也不……

I would rather die than surrender to the enemy.

我宁可死也不会向仇人屈从。

2. rather than

(1) 接形貌词/名词，表现“与其……，不如……”

This pair of shoes is comfortable rather than pretty.

这双鞋与其说是标致，不如说是惬意。

John is a doctor rather than a teacher.

与其说约翰是个教师，不如说他是个医生。

(2) 接名词或代词，可表现“而不是”的意思，相当于短语instead of或in place of：

I, rather than he, should be responsible for this failure.

该对这次失败卖力的是我，而不是他。

(3) 接动词本相，表现“而不是”：

Rather than allow the vegetables to go bad, he sold them at half price.

他将蔬菜半价卖掉，而不是让菜坏掉。

3. or rather 表现“更确切地说”，起进一步表明分析的作用：

She worked as a secretary, or rather, a personal assistant.

她当了秘书，确切地讲，是公家助理。

4. not ... but rather ... 表现“不是……，相反(而是)……”

Their problem is not a lack of funding, but rather a lack of planning.

他们的成绩不是缺乏资金，而是缺乏方案。

5. rather than 与prefer 连用

(1) prefer to do ... rather than do ... 表现“宁愿做……而不愿做……”：

They prefer to repeat their former experiences rather than take new risks.

他们宁可反复从前的履历也不乐意举行新的冒险。

(2) prefer+名词... rather than +名词，交换prefer ... to的用法，如:

I should prefer wine rather than beer.

我宁愿喝红酒而不愿喝啤酒。

rather与同义词的区分

rather作为独立的副词使用，可表现“相当”的意思。其同义词有：pretty, quite, fairly。它们表现“相当”的水平从强到弱依次为：rather, pretty, quite, fairly

1. 当rather修饰表现批评、扫兴、惊奇等带有负面涵义的形貌词和副词时，该词转达语言人的一种否定、不同意的态度，意为“颇为，在一定水平上”。比如：

This initially rather dull hobby had led him into fresh fields of enjoyment.

这个刚开头颇无趣的喜好带他进入了一个全新的乐园。

2. 与fairly的区别

fairly也可表现“颇，在一定水平上”的意思，但通常置于一些带有一定、正面涵义的形貌词和副词之前。假如所修饰的形貌词或副词为中性词，那么用rather，就会转达出语言人否定、不同意的态度，用fairly则转达语言人一定的态度。

北京的炎天太热了。

The summer in Beijing is rather hot.

(The speaker dislikes it.)

语言者不太喜好

北京的炎天挺干枯的。

The summer in Beijing is fairly dry.

(The speaker likes it.)

语言者喜好这种相宜的以为

3. 与pretty, quite等的用法区别

修饰奇数可数名词时，fairly和pretty只能放在冠词之后，而quite 和rather 可前可后。

这是一部好影戏。

It is quite a good film.

=It is a quite good film.

It is rather a good film.

=It is a rather good film.

It is a fairly good film.

It is a pretty good film.