ギリス新首相Boris Johnson氏は９月5日、欧州連合（EU）からの離脱（Brexit）について、次のように言いました。“I’d rather be dead in a ditch (than ask for Brexitdelay.)” 離脱が延期するくらいなら「溝でのたれ死んだ方がましだ」
Would ratherは「～よりはむしろ」の意味で、よくthanと一緒に使います。最もよく使われるのはwould rather+動詞原形 than+動詞原形.
例文1: I would rather stay home than travel abroad.　旅行に行くよりむしろ家にいたい。
例文２: People would borrow rather than own books.　自分で本を持つより、人々はむしろ借りる。
would rather … than …の代わりに、would prefer toもよく使います。would rather の否定形は: would rather not になります、注意してください。

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Notes
sidewalk (舗装した)歩道、人道;
scooter (モーター)スクーター;

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Most cities have buses and taxis, and some have subways. In that last 10 or 15 years, some cities have started renting bicycles. Now there is a new way to get around: electric scooters. A lot of people are using them in and around Washington, D.C. First, you have to go online and rent them. Then you use your cell phone WiFi to find the scooters. People ride them on sidewalks and in the street. They can travel up to 20 kms per hour. When users are finished, they just leave them on the sidewalk. The scooters look like fun, but I wonder if they are safe. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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