WOULD RATHER

Would rather is used to express a preference in English. Would rather is the same in meaning as would prefer. These
two phrases are used interchangeably to express a preference when making a choice. Here are some examples of
short conversations that use would rather to either state or ask for a preference.
Example Dialogues
John: Let's go out tonight.
Mary: That's a good idea.
John: How about going to a film? There's a new film out with Tom Hanks.
Mary: I'd rather go out for dinner. I'm hungry!
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Correct English Grammar

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ESL English
Sue: I'm not sure which topic to choose for my essay.
Debby: Well, what are your choices?
Sue: I can write about the economy or about a book.
Debby: Which would you rather write about?
Would Rather - Structure
The form would rather is a little strange because 'rather' is not a verb but is part of an expression that means 'would
prefer to'. 'Rather' is usually immediately followed by averb in base form (verb without 'to'). It's common to
use would rather in the shortened 'd rather form in positive statements. All subjects take 'would rather'.Would
rather can be used to refer to the present moment or a future moment in time.
Positive
Subject + would rather ('d rather) + base form of verb
Peter'd rather spend time on the beach.
I would rather learn a new language than study math.
Question
Would + subject + rather + base form of verb
Would you rather stay at home?
Would they rather do homework tomorrow morning?
Would Rather - Than

Would rather is often used with 'than' with two verbs or objects when making a choice between two specific actions.
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Would
you
rather
work
for
Tom
than
for
Mary?
She would rather play tennis than go horseback riding.
Would Rather - For Other People
Would rather is also used to express what one person prefers another person to do. The structure is unusual because it
takes the past for the preferred action. Here are some examples:
Tom would rather Mary bought a SUV.
Would you rather she stayed here with us?
Positive
Subject + would rather ('d rather) + object + past tense
I would rather my son worked in finance.
Susan would rather Peter took a plane.
Question
Would + subject + rather + object + past tense
Would she rather her sister flew home tomorrow?
Would you rather he came with us to the meeting?
Positive
Subject + would rather ('d rather) + object + negative past tense
I'd rather she didn't come with us today.
Tim would rather Peter didn't join the company.
ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY
We use some adverbs to describe how frequently we do an activity.
These are called adverbs of frequency and include:
Frequency

Adverb of Frequency

Example Sentence

100%

always

I always go to bed before 11pm.

90%

usually

I usually have cereal for breakfast.

80%

normally / generally

I normally go to the gym.

70%

often* / frequently

I often surf the internet.

50%

sometimes

I sometimes forget my wife's birthday.

30%

occasionally

I occasionally eat junk food.

10%

seldom

I seldom read the newspaper.

5%

hardly ever / rarely

I hardly ever drink alcohol.

0%

never

I never swim in the sea.

* Some people pronounce the 'T' in often but many others do not.

The Position of the Adverb in a Sentence

An adverb of frequency goes before a main verb (except with To Be).
Subject + adverb + main verb
I always remember to do my homework.
He normally gets good marks in exams.

An adverb of frequency goes after the verb To Be.

Subject + to be + adverb
They are never pleased to see me.
She isn't usually bad tempered.

When we use an auxiliary verb (have, will, must, might, could, would, can, etc.), the adverb is placed between the
auxiliary and the main verb. This is also true for to be.
Subject + auxiliary + adverb + main verb
She can sometimes beat me in a race.
I would hardly ever be unkind to someone.
They might never see each other again.
They could occasionally be heard laughing.

We can also use the following adverbs at the start of a sentence:

Usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally

Occasionally, I like to eat Thai food.

BUT we cannot use the following at the beginning of a sentence:

Always, seldom, rarely, hardly, ever, never.

We use hardly ever and never with positive, not negative verbs:

She hardly ever comes to my parties.

They never say 'thank you'.

We use ever in questions and negative statements:

Have you ever been to New Zealand?

I haven't ever been to Switzerland. (The same as 'I have never been Switzerland').

We can also use the following expressions when we want to be more specific about the frequency:
- every day - once a month - twice a year - four times a day - every other week

EXPRESSIONS OF FREQUENCY

Regardless, sooner or later you'll need to be able to answer such a question. Here are some, but certainly not
all, of the common ways that Spanish indicates how often an event occurs:
nunca, jams (never)

Examples: Nunca te olvidar.(I will never forget you.) En mi casa jams comemos carne. (In my house we
never eat meat.)
casi nunca, casi jams (almost never)

Examples: Casi nunca te he dicho que eres bella. (I have almost never told you that you're beautiful.) En el
norte de Chile, donde casi jams llueve, la situacin es diferente.(In northern Chile, where it almost never rains,
the situation is different.)
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raras veces, raramente (seldom)

Examples: Estos efectos secundarios raras veces son severos. (These secondary effects are seldom
severe.) Raramente pensamos en lo que tenemos. (We seldom think about what we have.)
de vez en cuando, ocasionalmente, a veces (occasionally, at times, sometimes, from time to time)

Examples: Es posible que de vez en cuando nuestras pginas tengan enlaces a sitios de terceros. (It is
possible that sometimes our pages have links to third-party sites.) Le recomendamos que visite esta pgina
ocasionalmente para verificar si est disponible. (We recommend that you visit this page occasionally in order to
verify that it is available.) A veces ocurre.(Sometimes it happens.)
a menudo, frecuentemente, con frecuencia (frequently, often)

Examples: El cncer de piel ms mortal a menudo no se diagnostica. (The most deadly type of skin cancer is
often not diagnosed.) La oficina de correos de Jerusaln recibe frecuentemente cartas dirigidas a Dios. (The post
office in Jerusalem often receives letters sent to God.) Estos medicamentos con frecuencia se vuelven menos
efectivos con el paso del tiempo.) (These medicines often become less effective over time.
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cada ____ (each ____ )

Examples: Te ofrecemos cada da 25 fotos.(Each day we offer you 25 photos.) Este sitio se actualiza cada
semana. (This site is updated each week.)
todos los ____, todas las ____ (every )

Examples: La vacuna se prepara todos los aos. (The vaccine is prepared every year.)Todas las noches yo
estaba listo. (Every night I was ready.)
casi siempre (almost always)

Example: Casi siempre estoy pensando en ti. (I am almost always thinking about you.)
siempre, en todo caso (always, in every case)

Examples: Siempre vamos a estar con ellos. (We always go to be with them.) En todo caso, los nios debe
hacer el deporte que ms le guste. (Children should always do the sport they like best.)

HOW OFTEN

backnext
The commonest adverbials of frequency are:

always

never

normally

occasionally

rarely

seldom

sometimes

usually

We usually put adverbials of frequency in front of the main verb:

We often spend Christmas with friends.
I have never enjoyed myself so much.
but they usually come after the verb be:
He was always tired in the evening.
We are never late for work.

often

We use the adverbial a lot to mean often or frequently. It comes at the end of the clause:
We go to the cinema a lot.
but before another time adverbial:
We go to the cinema a lot at the weekend.
We use much with a negative to mean not often:
We dont go out much. (= We dont go out often)
We use how often or ever to ask questions about frequency. How often comes at the beginning of the clause:
How often do you go to the cinema?
How often have you been here?
ever comes before the main verb:
Do you ever go to the cinema at the weekend?
Have you ever been there?
Longer frequency phrases, like every year or three times a day usually come at the end of the clause:
I have an English lesson twice a week.
She goes to see her mother every day.

GERUND
The gerund looks exactly the same as a present participle, but it is useful to understand the difference between the
two. The gerund always has the same function as a noun (although it looks like a verb). Some uses of the gerund are
covered on this page. A separate page deals with verbs that are followed by the gerund.
THE GERUND AS THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE
EXAMPLES

Eating people is wrong.

Hunting tigers is dangerous.

Flying makes me nervous.

Brushing your teeth is important.

Smoking causes lung cancer.

THE GERUND AS THE COMPLEMENT OF THE VERB 'TO BE'

EXAMPLES

One of his duties is attending meetings.

The hardest thing about learning English is understanding the gerund.

One of life's pleasures is having breakfast in bed.

THE GERUND AFTER PREPOSITIONS

The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition. This is also true of certain expressions ending in a
preposition, for example the expressions in spite of & there's no point in.
EXAMPLES

Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?

She is good at painting.

She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.

We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.

My father decided against postponing his trip to Hungary.

There's no point in waiting.

In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.

THE GERUND AFTER PHRASAL VERBS

Phrasal verbs are composed of a verb + preposition or adverb.
EXAMPLES

When will you give up smoking?

She always puts off going to the dentist.

He kept on asking for money.

Jim ended up buying a new TV after his old one broke.

There are some phrasal verbs that include the word "to" as a preposition for example to look forward to, to take to, to
be accustomed to, to get around to, & to be used to. It is important to recognise that the word "to" is a preposition in
these cases because it must be followed by a gerund. It is not part of the infinitive form of the verb. You can check
whether "to" is a preposition or part of the infinitive. If you can put the pronoun "it" after the word "to" and form a
meaningful sentence, then the word "to" is a preposition and must be followed by a gerund.

EXAMPLES

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I look forward to it.

I am used to waiting for buses.

I am used to it.

She didn't really take to studying English.

She didn't really take to it.

When will you get around to mowing the grass?

When will you get around to it?

THE GERUND IN COMPOUND NOUNS

In compound nouns using the gerund, it is clear that the meaning is that of a noun, not of a continuous verb. For
example, with the word "swimming pool" it is a pool for swimming in, it is not a pool that is swimming.
EXAMPLES

I am giving Sally a driving lesson.

They have a swimming pool in their back yard.

I bought some new running shoes.

THE GERUND AFTER SOME EXPRESSIONS

The gerund is necessary after the expressions can't help, can't stand, to be worth, & it's no use.
EXAMPLES

She couldn't help falling in love with him.

I can't stand being stuck in traffic jams.

It's no use trying to escape.

It might be worth phoning the station to check the time of the train.