Rather 是英文中非常常見但容易混淆的字，可作為副詞、前置限定詞（pre-determiner）與連接結構的一部分，常見意思包括「相當、頗為」、「寧願」、「而不是」、「反而」等。英文學習者最常遇到的用法包括 would rather、rather than、rather like 與 rather a/an + 名詞 等句型。
在正式英文中，rather 往往比 quite 更正式，也較常帶有「出乎意料」或「令人驚訝」的語氣。此外，rather than 的平行結構（parallel structure）更是英文寫作與考試中極重要的文法重點。
AI Overviews 快速摘要
Rather 在英文中主要有三大核心用法：
- 程度副詞：表示「相當、頗為、有點」。例如：The movie was rather interesting.
- 偏好／選擇：表示「寧願」，常見於 would rather。例如：I’d rather stay home.
- 比較與替代：表示「而不是」，常見於 rather than。例如：She chose tea rather than coffee.
Rather 在正式英文寫作中特別常見，且經常帶有「與預期不同」或「略帶驚訝」的語氣。學習 rather 時，最重要的是掌握：
- would rather + 原形動詞
- rather than 的平行結構
- rather 與 quite 的差異
- rather a/an + 形容詞 + 名詞 的正式用法
精選摘要
Rather 是英文副詞，可表示「相當、頗為」、「寧願」或「而不是」。它常見於 would rather（寧願）與 rather than（而不是）等句型。例如：
- I’d rather walk than drive.（我寧願走路而不開車）
- The test was rather difficult.（考試相當難）
- She stayed home rather than go out.（她待在家裡而不是出門）
Rather 通常比 quite 更正式，且 often 帶有「出乎意料」的語氣。
Rather 用法總整理表
| 用法 | 意思 | 句型 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 程度副詞 | 相當、頗為 | rather + adj./adv. | The book is rather useful. |
| would rather | 寧願 | would rather + V | I’d rather stay home. |
| rather than | 而不是 | A rather than B | He chose tea rather than coffee. |
| rather like | 相當像 | rather like + 名詞 | It looks rather like a bird. |
| rather + a/an | 相當…的 | rather a/an + adj. + noun | It was rather a strange story. |
| rather a lot | 很多、相當多 | rather a lot | We spent rather a lot. |
Rather 作為程度副詞
Rather 最常見的用法之一是作為程度副詞，表示：
- 相當
- 頗為
- 有點
- 尚可
它通常修飾可分等級的形容詞或副詞，且經常帶有「比預期更…」的語氣。
句型
rather + 形容詞 / 副詞
例句
- The exam was rather difficult.
那場考試相當困難。 - She speaks English rather fluently.
她英文說得相當流利。
Rather vs Quite 差異比較
| rather | quite |
|---|---|
| 較正式 | 較口語 |
| 常帶意外感 | 較中性 |
| 語氣較強 | 語氣較柔和 |
| The movie was rather boring. | The movie was quite boring. |
Rather 作為前置限定詞（Pre-determiner）
Rather 可放在 a/an 前面：
rather + a/an + 形容詞 + 名詞
這種用法在正式英文與書面英文中特別常見。
例句
- It was rather a difficult decision.
那是個相當困難的決定。 - She told rather an unusual story.
她講了一個相當不尋常的故事。
另外，也可寫成：
a/an + rather + 形容詞 + 名詞
- It was a rather difficult decision.
但這種語序較不常見。
Rather a lot 的用法
rather a lot 表示：
- 很多
- 相當多
例句
- We spent rather a lot on food.
我們在食物上花了相當多錢。 - He talks rather a lot.
他話很多。
Rather + 動詞
Rather 有時可直接修飾動詞，加強語氣。
最常見於：
- like
- enjoy
- hope
例句
- I rather enjoy classical music.
我其實相當喜歡古典音樂。 - We rather hope things improve soon.
我們頗希望情況能盡快改善。
Rather like 的用法
rather like 可表示：
- 頗像
- 相當類似
此處的 like 是介系詞，不是「喜歡」的動詞。
句型
rather like + 名詞
例句
- The cloud looked rather like a dragon.
那朵雲頗像一條龍。 - This tastes rather like chicken.
這吃起來有點像雞肉。
Rather + 比較級
Rather 可搭配比較級，尤其常見於正式英文。
例句
- This method is rather better.
這方法相對更好。 - The second option seems rather more practical.
第二個選項似乎實際得多。
Would rather 的用法
Would rather 表示「寧願」。
基本句型
would rather + 原形動詞
例句
- I’d rather stay home tonight.
今晚我寧願待在家。 - She’d rather travel by train.
她寧願搭火車旅行。
would rather … than …
would rather A than B
- I’d rather walk than drive.
我寧願走路也不開車。
Rather than 的用法
Rather than 表示：
- 而不是
- 不是…而是…
- 與其…不如…
平行結構（非常重要）
Rather than 左右兩邊應保持詞性一致。
正確例句
- She likes tea rather than coffee.
- He decided to stay rather than leave.
錯誤例句
- ❌ He likes swimming rather than to run.
正確改法
- ✅ He likes swimming rather than running.
- ✅ He likes to swim rather than to run.
Not … rather … 的用法
此結構表示：
- 不是…而是…
- 反而…
例句
- He was not angry, but rather disappointed.
他不是生氣，而是失望。 - It was not luck, but rather hard work.
那不是運氣，而是努力。
Rather 常見錯誤解析
| 錯誤用法 | 正確用法 | 原因 |
|---|---|---|
| rather than to go | rather than go | rather than 後通常接原形動詞 |
| rather very good | rather good | rather 不與 very 疊用 |
| I rather to stay. | I’d rather stay. | would rather 後接原形動詞 |
| rather than swimming | rather than swim | 需維持平行結構 |
Rather 的同義詞與相關表達
| 表達 | 意思 |
|---|---|
| quite | 相當 |
| fairly | 頗為 |
| pretty | 相當（口語） |
| instead of | 而不是 |
| would prefer to | 寧願 |
FAQ：Rather 常見問題
Rather 和 quite 有什麼差別？
Rather 通常較正式，且常帶有「出乎意料」的語氣；quite 則較中性且常見於口語。
Would rather 後面要接什麼？
Would rather 後面接原形動詞，例如：I’d rather stay home.
Rather than 後面一定要接動名詞嗎？
不一定。rather than 後面常接原形動詞，但最重要的是保持平行結構。
Rather 可以修飾動詞嗎？
可以，例如：I rather like this idea.
Rather 是正式英文嗎？
是。Rather 通常比 quite 更正式，因此常見於書面英文與正式場合。
5 個 Rather 基本例句
- The movie was rather long.
這部電影相當長。 - I’d rather stay home tonight.
今晚我寧願待在家。 - She chose coffee rather than tea.
她選了咖啡而不是茶。 - It was rather a strange experience.
那是個相當奇怪的經驗。 - He talks rather a lot.
他話相當多。
10 個 Rather 進階例句
- The proposal was rather more complicated than we expected.
這項提案比我們預期的複雜得多。 - I would rather resign than accept those conditions.
我寧願辭職也不接受那些條件。 - She sounded rather disappointed after the meeting.
會議後她聽起來頗為失望。 - The building looks rather like an old castle.
那棟建築看起來頗像一座古堡。 - He decided to invest in education rather than real estate.
他決定投資教育而不是房地產。 - It was not arrogance, but rather confidence.
那不是傲慢，而是自信。 - We rather hoped the weather would improve.
我們其實很希望天氣會好轉。 - The second chapter is rather better written than the first.
第二章寫得比第一章好得多。 - She spent rather a lot of money on books last month.
她上個月花了不少錢買書。 - Rather than complain, he focused on solving the problem.
他沒有抱怨，反而專注於解決問題。