Word of the Day: Rather
The word “rather” is an adverb used when choosing one thing over another. This is a good way to ask about a person’s preference. In this case, “rather” is often used with the word “would.”
- What would you rather do, go to the park or go to the beach?
- I’d rather have a salad for dinner tonight instead of a hamburger. (I’d rather = I would rather)
- Sarah would rather own a small car that saves gas over a large car.
- Instead of living in the city, Jerome would rather live in the country.
- I’d rather be fishing. (rather be + a gerund / a noun / adjective)
- I”d rather be playing golf.
- I’d rather be at home right now.
- I’d rather be rich than poor.
It’s common to put “rather than” at the beginning of a sentence:
- Rather than complain about how bad this is, why don’t you do something to fix it?
- Rather than do what everyone else is doing, why don’t you do something different?
- Rather than going out tonight, they’re going to stay at home.
You can also use “rather” as a substitute for the adverb “very.” This is more popular in British English, but it’s also heard in American English:
- She looks rather pleased with herself.
- This situation is rather difficult.
- That was a rather exciting experience.
- I found that book to be rather boring.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with R page to see the list of all words starting with letter R. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
