6.6 WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER
Would rather/sooner has a meaning similar to would prefer and can be followed by a bare infinitive or by a clause with the past subjunctive or the past perfect subjunctive. There is no difference in meaning between would rather and would sooner, but would rather is more common.
WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER + bare infinitive
Would rather/sooner is followed by a bare infinitive if the subject of would rather/sooner is the same as the doer of the action expressed by the following verb.
WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER + simple or continuous infinitive
Would rather/sooner + simple or continuous infinitive expresses preferences about the present:
I'd rather go by bike than walk. (I'd prefer to go by bike rather than walk.)
Where would you rather sleep? (Where would you prefer to sleep?)
I'd rather be writing my paper. (I'd prefer to be writing my paper.)
The negative is would rather not:
I would rather not go out tonight. (I'd prefer not to go out tonight.)
If we leave out rather, we get the main clause of a sentence in the second conditional:
Where would you sleep (if you could choose)?
WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER + perfect infinitive
Would rather/sooner + perfect infinitive expresses preferences about the past and means that the desired action was not performed:
Would you rather have had pork than beef? (Would you have preferred pork to beef?)
I'd rather have walked, but I went by bus because it was raining. (I would have liked to walk, but I went by bus because it was raining.)
If we omit rather, we get the main clause of a sentence in the third conditional:
I would have walked (if it hadn't been raining).
WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER + clause
Would rather/sooner is followed by a clause if the subject of would rather/sooner is different from the doer of the action expressed by the following verb.
WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER + clause with the past subjunctive
Would rather/sooner + clause with the past subjunctive expresses that we would like someone else to do something.
I'd rather you didn't smoke in here. (I'd prefer you not to smoke in here.)
Tim would sooner I returned his camera. (Tim would like me to return his camera.)
Where would you rather I slept? (Where would you prefer me to sleep?)
This pattern can be rephrased by using a second conditional with prefer:
I would prefer it if you didn't smoke in here.
WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER + clause with the past perfect subjunctive
Would rather/sooner + clause with the past perfect subjunctive expresses preferences or wishes about the past. The subject of would rather/sooner and the subject of the subjunctive are different:
I'd rather this whole thing had never happened. (I wish it had never happened.)
What would you rather I had done? (What would you have preferred me to do?)
This pattern can be rephrased by using a third conditional with prefer:
I'd prefer it if this whole thing had never happened.