rather /ˈrɑ:ðə/ adv. 1.相当，十分，有点儿：He wore a rather shabby coat. 他穿一件相当破旧的上衣。You’ve done rather well.你干得十分好。［注］ 不定冠词有时可放在rather后面：She had rather a bad cold.她患相当严重的感冒。 2. 更确切些 or rather 确切些说：We got home late last night, or rather early this morning. 我们昨天半夜里，说准确是今天清早才回到家。 3.宁愿(与would连用，would常缩写为’d，后接不带to的不定式或从句。接从句时，谓语动词用过去式表示虚拟)：He would rather stay at home. 他宁可呆在家里。I’d rather not tell you. 我真不想告诉你。I’d rather (that) you told me the truth.我很想你能告诉我真相。［考句］ I’d rather you didn’t make any comment on the issue for the time being. 我到希望你暂时先别就此事发表意见。［考句］In fact Peter would rather have left for San Francisco than stayed in New York. 事实上，彼得宁愿去了旧金山而不愿意呆在纽约。had/would rather… than…   宁可…而不…：She would rather die than give in. (= She would die rather than give in. 或 Rather than give in she would die.) 她宁死也不屈服。［考句］ I’d rather have a room of my own, however small it is, than share a room with someone else.我宁愿单独住一间哪怕是最小的房间，也不愿与人合住一间。rather than  与其…(不如)，不是…(而是)：［考句］ Nuclear science should be developed to benefit the people rather than harm them.核科学的发展应该有益于人民而不是危害人民。not… but rather…不是…而是…［考句］Sometimes patients suffering from severe pain can be helped by “drugs" that aren’t really drugs at all but rather sugar pills that contain no active chemical elements.有时感到剧烈疼痛的病人服药后变不痛了，实际上，他所服的根本不是药，而是不含任何化学成分的糖片。