Rather than 的用法1

Rather than 的用法：

A CGoEL 把rather than 列为准并列连词。Rather than 连接的两个成分必须是语法性质完全相等的结构：

They were screaming rather than singing.

She has always preferred making her own clothes rather than buying them in the shops.

She telephoned rather than wrote.

He is to be pitied rather than to be disliked.

I’d prefer to go in August rather than in July.

He tried to dodge the question rather than answer it.

These shoes are comfortable rather than pretty.

That’s a task for you rather than (for) me.

It ought to be you rather than me that signs the letter.

B rather than 连接的是两个主语时（通常在前后各加一逗号），根据语法一致的原则，第一个名词短语是单数，动词也要求用单数。如：

The United States, rather than other countries, is responsible for it.

I, rather than he, am to blame.

C 当主句有动词不定式时，rather than 之后可跟带to或不带to的不定式，也可以跟-ing形式。据CGoEL, 当接-ing形式时，rather than 是介词而不是准并列连词。

He prefers to rent a car rather than to have one of his own.

He wanted to sunbathe rather than (to) swim.

I believe it is important to invest in new machinery rather than to increase / increasing wages.

We ought to check up, rather than just accept / accepting what he says.

D rather than 也可以位于句首，通常后随不带to的不定式，但也有人用-ing形式。如：

Rather than go there by air, I’d take the slowest train.

Rather than cause trouble, he left.

Rather than waste / wasting your time doing it yourself, why don’t you call in a builder?

E 据RW, rather than用来对比两个动词，其意思是“优先于”时，之后的动词应保持不带to的不定

式。如：

He will resign rather than accept the new pay offe r.

He resigned rather than accept the new pay offer.

Rather than accept the new pay offer, he resigned.

然而，当rather than的意思是“代替”时，之后的动词可以采用不带to的不定式，也可以采用-s,-ed, 或-ing形式。如：

He will reject rather than accept the new pay offer.

He rejected rather than accepted the new pay offer.

Rather than accepting the new pay offer, he rejected it.

F rather than 可带that-分句（常省略that），分句用陈述语气。用虚拟语气或推定性的should既少见又正式。下面摘自CGoEL:

Rather than you say anything, I would speak to the manager myself.

Rather than she should feel lonely, her friends arranged to take her with them on the trip.

Rather than you do the job, I’d prefer to finish it myself.

Rather than Michael guarantee the loan,

the loan be guaranteed by Michael, it ca be done by his father.

AW The Appropriate Word---Finding the Best Way to Say What You Mean (1990) by J.N. Hook CGoEL A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1985) by R. Quirk, S. Greenbaum, G.

Leech and J. Svartvik