Rather

We use rather as a degree adverb (rather cold, rather nice). We also use it to express alternatives and preferences (green rather than blue, coffee rather than tea, slowly rather than quickly).

Rather as a degree adverb

We use rather to give emphasis to an adjective or adverb. It has a similar meaning to quite when quite is used with gradable words. It is more formal than quite. We often use it to express something unexpected or surprising:

A:
You’re not just wasting your time here, are you?

B:
No, I’mratherbusy, in fact.

They walked rather slowly.

I’m afraid I behaved rather badly.

Rather with adjective + noun

With a/an we usually use rather a/an + adjective + noun, but we can also use a rather + adjective + noun. With other determiners (some, those) we use determiner + rather + adjective + noun:

We had to wait rather a long time. (or, less common, We had to waita ratherlong time.)

He helped her out of rather an uncomfortable situation. (or He helped her out ofa ratheruncomfortable situation.)

I had some rather bad news today.

Not: I had rather some bad news today.

Rather a + noun

Rather a with a noun is more common in formal language than in informal language, particularly in writing:

It was rather a surprise to find them in the house before me.

Rather a lot

We often use rather with a lot to refer to large amounts and quantities:

It cost me rather a lot of money.

You’ve given me rather a lot.

We also use rather a lot to mean ‘often’:

They went there rather a lot.

You’ll be seeing rather a lot of me over the next few weeks.

Rather + verb

We can use rather to emphasise verbs. We use it most commonly with verbs such as enjoy, hope, like:

I was rather hoping you’d forgotten about that.

He rather liked the idea of a well-paid job in Japan.

Rather: comparison

We use rather with more and less + an adjective or adverb in formal writing to make a comparison with something:

Quite probably you simply didn’t realise that peas and beans and sweet-corn are such valuable vegetables, and you will now continue to eat them rathermore frequently because you like them anyway.

Now that she saw Rupert again, he was rather less interesting and a little older than she had remembered him.

Rather like

We use rather with like to refer to similarities. We use rather like to mean ‘quite similar to’:

They were small animals, rather like rats.

I was in the middle. I felt rather like a referee at a football match trying to be fair and keep the sides apart.

Ratherthan: alternatives and preferences

We use rather than to give more importance to one thing when two alternatives or preferences are being compared:

He wanted to be an actor rather than a comedian.

Can we come over on Saturday rather than Friday?

Rather than usually occurs between two things which are being compared. However, we can also use it at the beginning of a sentence. When we use rather than with a verb, we use the base form or (less commonly) the -ing form of a verb:

Rather than pay the taxi fare, he walked home. (or Rather thanpaying the taxi fare, he walked home.)

Not: Rather than to pay …

Or rather

We use or rather to correct ourselves:

He commanded and I obeyed, or rather, I pretended to.

Thanks to his efforts, or rather the efforts of his employees, they made a decent profit.

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