I seem to have noticed that, when the object is not a person, "would rather" is often followed by the subjunctive mood instead of the simple past or the pluperfect. For instance, we say "I'd rather you joined me", but I rarely see: "I'd rather the meeting was canceled". Am I right in thinking that it would be better in this case to say: "I'd rather the meeting be canceled". How about the following sentences?
- "I'd rather the appointment be rescheduled."
- "I'd rather the meeting take place (or would take place) tomorrow"
- "If there's going to be a crisis, I'd rather it happen now than later."
Supposing that I'm right, what happens in the negative form? Should one say: "I'd rather the meeting didn't take place" or "I'd rather the meeting not take place (or wouldn't take place)"?