Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

Û 

394 and

403d

). Must is more frequent than have to in this meaning.

Would rather

403f

Would rather 

says that one state of affairs is preferable to another. In both its full

form and the contracted form, ’d rather, it occurs most commonly with I. Would

rather

has two different constructions. 

Same subject

When the subject is the same person in both clauses, would rather is followed by a

verb in the base form:

I

’d rather be a waiter than a barman.

He felt he

’d rather do something useful than sit about.

✪

Would rather

is not used with an -ing form or a to-infinitive:

[speaking of a jacket with two buttons]

I didn’t know it had two buttons, you know. I

’d rather have three. 

(I’d rather having/to have three.)

I

’d rather stay here than travel any further tonight.

(I’d rather to stay here than to travel any further tonight.)

References to the past may be expressed with would rather plus a perfect infinitive

form:

The people 

would rather have died than let the old-style conservatives back into

power again. 

The negative is formed by adding not after rather:

A: If you get a job anyway, you’ll probably get a car won’t you? 

B: Yeah. Well, I don’t know. I’d rather not have a car. 

A: Oh, what, environmental pollution? 

B: Yeah.

I

’d rather not say what I really think about him.