297 would rather/soonerprefer/would prefer

 

would ratherwould sooner之间没有区别,但经常听到的是would rather

A would rather/sooner的主语与后面的动作的主语相同时,would rather/sooner之后常常接不带to的不定式:

Tom would rather read than talk

汤姆宁可读书而不愿谈天。

1 would rather/sooner+ 不带to的不定式可用来表示现在的动作,以代替prefer+ 动名词:

Tom prefers reading to talking

汤姆喜欢读书而不喜欢谈天。

注意:would rather后跟不带to的不定式+than+不带 to的不定式,而prefer后跟动名词+to+动名词。

prefer后面也可跟名词,而在would rather之后要求只带动词原形:

He prefers wine to beer.相当于:

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.相当于:

Id rather play tennis than golf

我喜欢打网球而不喜欢打高尔夫球。

某些 prefer+ 名词的情况不能用 would rather完全确切地表达出来:He prefers dogs to cats(他喜欢狗而不喜欢猫)和 Hewould rather have dogs than cats(他宁可养狗而不愿养猫)意思并不完全相同。

2 would rather+ 不带 to的不定式不能表示过去的偏爱。所以与 Tom would rather read than talk相当的过去形式为 Tompreferred reading to talking/liked reading better than talking。(参见下面4。)

3 would rather+ 不带to的不定式可代替 would prefer+ to的不定式:

Id rather fly than go by sea/Id prefer to fly

我宁愿乘飞机也不愿乘船。

注意:用would prefer时,只提到你愿意做的这件事,而不提另外一件你不愿做的事,如上所述。因此,如想把愿意和不愿意的两个动作都提到,则要用would rather

这两个结构后面带名词时情况也一样:

Would you like some gin

Id prefer a coffee/Id rather have coffee than gin

―您想喝点杜松子酒吗?

―我想喝点咖啡。/我想喝点咖啡,不想喝杜松子酒。

4 would rather/soonerwould prefer后面都可跟完成式,但后者带to

We went by sea but Id rather have gone by air/Id prefer to have goneby 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+to 的不定式的完成式也表示未能实现的愿望。(参见第296D。)

B 如句子的两个主语不相同,可用主语+ would rather/sooner后面跟主语+ 过去时(虚拟语气)结构:

Shall I give you a cheque

Id rather you paid cash

―我付给您支票行吗?

―我想您最好付现金。

注意:用would rather+主语+didnt表示带否定意义的偏爱:

Would you like him to paint it

NoId rather he didntpaint it).

―您想让他给它上油漆吗?

―不,我希望他不要这么做。

Ann wants to tell Tombut Id rather she didnttell him).

安想告诉汤姆,但我不想让她告诉他。

然而,preferlike相同,后面都跟宾语+ to的不定式:

Id prefer you to pay cash

我想你最好付现金。

Id prefer him not to paint it

我不想让他给它上油漆。

Id prefer her not to tell Tom

我不想让她告诉汤姆。