In Expressions^x, American English^x, Contractions^x

1. Sounds natural to me. 2. Sounds unnatural to me, but not for the same reason as Yankee gives. It's clearly an expression more often heard in conversation than seen in writing, so contractions should be used to make it sound more natural. I haven't the foggiest idea ... has a...

Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. had rather like had better, had best, and would rather, is a Standard expression: He had rather stay home. The contractions of had and would are of course...