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The ‘would rather’ construction is a bit tricky. Used to state that one prefers one thing to the other, it has two patterns, and this is actually what makes it intriguing to handle.
There is the one in which you can use the ‘normal’ present simple tense to express a present or future action. There is the other in which you must opt for the past simple even when the action referred to has yet to take place. Does the latter remind you of ‘It is high time you went out’ construction?She would rather take the money to the bank than keep it in office.I would rather the landlord called a meeting tomorrow.I’d rather Buhari returned home immediately to settle the Kyari matter.
As a result, the present simple, ‘keep’, is used. So, when the subject of the clause is constant, we stick to the ‘normal’ concord rule.She’d rather study Nursing than study Economics. The second variant of the ‘would rather’ construction is the one that, many believe, is a bit complicated. It is, however, not really so once one understands the rule. The rule is that when the subjects of the two clauses are different, the verb has to change to the past simple .
In each of the examples, we have two clauses and two subjects. In the first, the subjects are John and his mum while governor and his wife separately constitute the subjects in the second sentence. In such a situation, which also refers to a present or future action, the verb in the second clause should be past simple:In this example, again, there are two subjects . So, ‘listened’ is the correct verb, despite the fact that it is now that I want you to carefully study what I am teaching you.
In the two cases, the action has been taken. The players have gone to Tokyo while Buhari has travelled out of the country. Therefore, the past perfect are used.All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
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