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used to mean ‘fairly’ or ‘to some degree’, often when you are disappointed, surprised or expressing slight criticism （常用于表示轻微的批评、失望或惊讶）相当，在某种程度上 rather odd/strange/unusual 相当奇怪/奇怪/不寻常 a rather large sum of money 一大笔钱 A rather small number of people turned up. 相当少的人出现了。 They took a rather different approach. 他们采取了相当不同的方法。 I thought it was a rather good idea. 我认为这是个相当好的主意。 The instructions were rather complicated. 这些说明相当复杂。 She fell and hurt her leg rather badly. 她跌倒了，腿伤得相当重。 I didn't fail the exam; in fact I did rather well! 我没有考不及格，事实上，我考得不错！ It was a rather difficult question. 这是个相当难的问题。 It was rather a difficult question. 这真是个难题。 He looks rather like his father. 他看上去很像他的父亲。 The patient has responded to the treatment rather better than expected. 病人对治疗的反应比预想的好得多。 He was conscious that he was talking rather too much. 他意识到他说得实在太多了。
Which Word? quite / fairly / rather / prettyquite / fairly / rather / prettyLook at these examples: 看下列例句： The exam was fairly difficult. 这场考试颇难。
The exam was quite difficult. 这场考试相当难。
The exam was rather difficult. 这场考试十分难。
- Quite is a little stronger than fairly, and rather is a little stronger than quite. Rather is not very common in North American English; pretty has the same meaning and this is used in informal British English too:
The exam was pretty difficult. 这场考试十分难。
- In British English quite has two meanings:
I feel quite tired today 今天我感到相当累。
与表示极端状态的形容词（即非级差形容词）连用，意为完全地、绝对地： I feel quite exhausted. 我感到筋疲力尽。
与某些形容词连用，两种含义均有可能，究竟属于哪一种由说话者的重音和语调决定： Your essay is quite good 你的文章还不错（挺好，不过可以更好）；
Your essay is quite good 你的文章还不错（挺好，不过可以更好）；
- In North American English quite usually means something like ‘very’, not ‘fairly’ or ‘rather’. Pretty is used instead for this sense.
Extra ExamplesI'm sorry, I've got rather a lot on my mind. 对不起，我的烦心事已经够多了。 Recently she'd been thinking about him rather too much. 最近她想他想得太多了。 She looked rather well after her night in hospital. 在医院住了一夜后，她看起来相当好。 The rules are rather complicated. 这些规则相当复杂。 They'd had rather a lot to drink. 他们宁愿喝很多酒。
used with a verb to make a statement sound less strong （与动词连用以减弱语气）有点儿，稍微 I've always rather liked Charlie. 我一直很喜欢查理。 I rather suspect we're making a mistake. 我有点儿怀疑我们正在犯错误。 We were rather hoping you'd be able to do it by Friday. 我们希望你最好能在星期五之前做这件事。
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used to correct something you have said, or to give more accurate information （纠正所说的话或提供更确切的信息）更确切地讲，更准确地说 She worked as a secretary, or rather, a personal assistant. 她当了秘书；确切地讲，是私人助理。 In the end he had to walk—or rather run—to the office. 最后他不得不走着，应该说是跑着，去办公室。
Language Bank i.e.i.e.Explaining what you mean 解释意思 Some poems are mnemonics, i.e. they are designed to help you remember something. 有些诗歌是记忆代码，即是说，其目的是帮助人们记起某事。
Some poems are mnemonics, that is to say, they are designed to help you remember something. 有些诗歌是记忆代码，就是说，其目的是帮助人们记起某事。
Mnemonic poems, that is poems designed to help you remember something, are an excellent way to learn lists. 记事诗，即帮助人记起事情的诗歌，是记住一系列事物的极佳方式。
A limerick’s rhyme scheme is A–A–B–B–A. In other words, the first, second, and fifth lines all rhyme with one another, while the third and fourth lines have their own rhyme. 五行打油诗的韵律是 A-A-B-B-A。就是说，第一行、第二行和第五行押一个韵，而第三行和第四行押另一个韵。
In this exercise the reader is encouraged to work out the meaning, or rather the range of meanings, of the poem. 这个练习鼓励读者弄清这首诗的意思，更确切地说是弄清其几种含意。
This is a poem about death, or, more precisely, dying. 这是一首关于死亡的诗，更确切地说是关于临终的诗。
He says his poems deal with ‘the big issues’, by which he means love, loss, grief and death. 他说他的诗涉及一些 “重大问题”，这些问题是指爱、失去、痛苦和死亡。
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used to introduce an idea that is different or opposite to the idea that you have stated previously （提出不同或相反的观点）相反，反而，而是
Word OriginOld English hrathor ‘earlier, sooner’, comparative of hræthe ‘without delay’, from hræth ‘prompt’, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
rather than
rather you, him, etc. than me
would rather… (than)
(usually reduced to ’d rather 通常缩写为 'd rather would prefer to 宁愿；更喜欢 She'd rather die than give a speech. 她宁愿死也不愿意演讲。 ‘Do you want to come with us?’ ‘No, I'd rather not.’ “你想跟我们一起来吗？” “不，我不想去。” Would you rather walk or take the bus? 你比较喜欢步行还是坐公共汽车？ ‘Do you mind if I smoke?’ ‘Well, I'd rather you didn't.’ “你介意我抽烟吗？” “嗯，最好别抽。” Personally, I'd rather see the money and resources going into education. 就我个人而言，我更愿意看到资金和资源投入教育。 I'd rather have a simple product that actually works than something fancy that's just not reliable. 我宁愿有一个简单的产品，而不是一些不可靠的花哨的东西。
Express Yourself Expressing a preferenceTopics Preferences and decisionsb2Expressing a preference 表达喜好 These are ways of stating what your preferred choice is. Note that we sometimes discount our own expertise or authority before expressing our preference: 面对选择时，表达自己更喜欢某事物，可用以下方式。需要注意的是在表达喜好之前，有时会先表明自己的选择并非代表专家或权威的意见： I like the red one better than/more than the green one. 比起那个绿色的，我更喜欢红的。
I prefer beef to lamb. 我喜欢牛肉胜于羊肉。
I'd prefer to wait here. 我宁愿在这儿等。
I'd rather go to the concert than the play. 与看戏相比，我更愿意去听音乐会。
I think I'd rather stay in than go out tonight. 今晚我想待在家里，不想外出。
I like swimming better than jogging. 比起慢跑，我更喜欢游泳。
I think that colour's much more attractive. 我觉得那种颜色好看多了。
It doesn’t really matter to me whether we eat here or go out. 我们在这儿吃还是出去吃，我真无所谓。
I don't really mind whether we talk now or later. 我们是现在谈还是以后谈，我不大在意。
I’m happy either way. （两个之中）无论哪一个我都乐意。
I don't really care either way. （这两个）我都无所谓。
If it were up to me, I'd choose the green one. 如果让我来选，我会选那个绿色的。
If you ask me, the old one looks better than the new one. 要问我的话，旧的那个看起来比新的好。
I’m not an expert but Design B seems more eye-catching. 我不是专家，但 B 设计似乎更抢眼。