【问】 “John wants to see you today.” “I would rather he——tomorrow than today. ”
 A. comes B. came
 C. should come D. has come(TOEFL，73. 6)
 正确答案为B(came)。但是我不明白为什么动词的过去时came与将来时间tomorrow连用。
 【答】 句中的过去时(came)并非陈述语气的过去时，而是虚拟语气的过去时，它不是指过去，而是指现在或将来。I'd rather这个句型表示可能实现、也可能难以实现的愿望。例如：
 1. I would rather you didn't invite too many people.
 我宁愿你不邀请太多的人。
 2. I'd rather you were happy.
 我宁愿你幸福。
 3. I would much rather it was forgotten. (Du Maurier)
 我宁愿这件事被遗忘了。
 4. I'd rather you told me the truth. (Eckersley)
 我宁愿你告诉我实情。
 5. Would you rather I did it? (Wood)
 你愿我来做这件事吗?
 6. I'd rather you didn't mention the price. (CGEL)
 我宁愿你不提价钱。
 7. Many residents would rather that the bus service were subsidized. (CGEL)
 许多居民宁愿给公共汽车服务人员发津贴。
 如果想指过去，就必须用过去完成时：
 I'd rather you hadn't told me about it.
 我宁愿你未曾把这件事告诉我。
 (参见would)