Ms. Miller had rather spend the entire summer in the heat of New York City than travel with her cousins to Maine. (TOEFL)
上道托福试题要求将 had rather 改为 would rather。但是我在阅读中却经常读到 had rather 的用法，这是怎么回事呢？
不错,had rather 在英语原著中确实屡见不鲜。
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I had rather resign. (RWRT) 我宁愿辞职。
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I had rather go to the beach tomorrow than have lunch at your parents'. (RWRT) 我宁愿明天去海滩,而不愿在你父母那里用午餐。
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I said I had rather go on a picnic with the girls. (DAI) 我说过我宁愿跟姑娘们去野餐。
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He had rather not commit himself. (CGEL) 他宁愿不作任何承诺。
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I had rather you did it. (Wood) 我宁愿你来做这件事。
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I had rather not go out tonight, if you don't mind. (Millington) 如果你不介意的话，我宁愿今天夜里不出去了。
但是托福的出题者们认为 had rather 不是正式语体,应加以排斥。Micheal Swan 也持有这种观点。他在 PEU 中说:“had rather 在现代标准英语中并不存在。”
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage 的编著们却作了完全相反的论述：
“So in present-day English you can use either had rather or would rather. No one objects to either form any more. In speech, of course, you will find 'd rather', which you are free to interpret as you please.” (p. 491)（所以，在现代英语中你既可以使用 had rather，也可以使用 would rather。现在没有人再反对其中的任何一种形式了。当然，你在言语中会遇到 'd rather 这种形式，对此你可以自由地加以解释。）