Anonymous  +  369244 Wed, 23 May 07 09:01 AM Are these sentences the same in meaning? If so, which is more common? A:  I would rather stay home than play outside. B:  I would stay home rather than play outside. Anonymous

	nona the brit  +  369257 Wed, 23 May 07 09:24 AM They don't mean the same thing. A means that this is your current preference B means that in the past you habitually chose to stay home instead of playing outside. nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all.

	Marius Hancu  +  369340 Wed, 23 May 07 02:17 PM These are both using past subjunctives with would, implying an option. To me, they both need some more explicit timing references. Without them, they are mainly related to the present or the future, and only rarely to the past, as say per Curme, A Grammar of the English Language. Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673 Grammar, Subjunctives