副詞rather用法詳解

一、用作副詞

1.很，頗，在很大程度上

It’s rather difficult. 它相當難。

I was rather angry at what he said. 我對他說的話相當生氣。

This carpet’s getting rather old now. 這塊地毯現在很舊了。

I’m afraid our team’s doing rather badly. 我看我們隊的表現不太好。

We were rather tired after our long walk. 徒步走了這么遠，我們都相當累了。

I feel rather well today. 我今天覺得相當好。

The new law has affected rather a lot of people. 新法律影響到了相當多的人。

2.(用于比較級之前表強調)…得多，還要更

The weather was rather worse than I had expected. 天氣要比我預料的還壞。

This hotel is rather more expensive than that. 這家旅館的收費比那家貴得多。

3.(用于too之前表強調)太：

He talks rather too much. 他說得實在太多了。

I’ve been to rather too many parties recently. 我最近參加的聚會實在太多了。

二、用于短語

1. or rather 更確切地說

She lives in London, or rather she lives in a suburb of London. 她住在倫敦，更確切的說，是在倫敦近郊。

I explained to him how far things had got, or rather had not got. 我向他說明形勢發展到何種程度，或者更確切地說向他說明形勢沒有發展到何種程度。

2. rather than 而不是，(不是…)而是：He ran rather than walked. 他不是在走而是在跑。

You are doing this for yourself rather than for me. 你做這件事不是為我而是為你自己。

It was what he meant rather than what he said. 這是他話里的意思，而不是他說的原話。

3. would rather...(than)… 寧愿…(而不愿)：I’d rather walk than take a bus. 我寧愿走路而不愿乘公共汽車。

He would rather have the small one than (have) the large one. 他寧愿要小的那個，而不愿要大的。

三、重要用法

1. 修飾形容詞時，通常與那些意義“消極”的形容詞連用：

Frank is clever but rather lazy. 弗蘭克很聰明但頗為懶惰。

若與意義“積極”的形容詞連用，則通常含有“驚人地”的意思：

I did rather well in that test—better than expected. 這次考試我考得相當好——比我預料的還好。

2.有時可用于修飾動詞，尤其是那些表達思想或情感的動詞：

I rather like him. (www.cpsenglish.com) 我很喜歡他。

She rather enjoys doing nothing. 她挺喜歡什么事都不干。

It rather surprised me. 那事使我相當驚訝。

I rather think we’re going to lose. 我倒是認為我們要輸。

We were rather hoping you could stay to supper. 我們倒是希望你留下來吃晚飯。

3.與不定冠詞連用時，通常要置于不定冠詞之前：

He is rather a fool. 他是個大笨蛋。

但若其后的名詞帶有形容詞修飾語，則也可置于不定冠詞之后：

That’s rather a silly question.= That’s a rather silly question. 那是個相當愚蠢的問題。

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