(_Is come, are flown_, etc. must not
be mistaken for transitive verbs in the passive voice.) [Footnote: A
peculiar use of _had_ is found in the expressions _had rather go_ and _had
better go_, condemned by many grammarians who suppose _had_ to be here used
incorrectly for _would_ or _should_. Of these expressions the "Standard
Dictionary," an authority worthy of our attention, says:--
"Forms disputed by certain grammatical critics from the days of Samuel
Johnson, the critics insisting upon the substitution of _would_ or
_should_, as the case may demand, for _had_; but _had rather_ and _had
better_ are thoroughly established English, idioms having the almost
universal popular and literary sanction of centuries. 'I _would rather_ not
go' is undoubtedly correct when the purpose is to emphasize the element of
choice, or will, in the matter; but in all ordinary cases 'I _had rather_
not go' has the merit of being idiomatic and easily and universally
understood.
"If for 'You _had better_ stay at home' we substitute 'You _should better_
stay at home,' an entirely different meaning is expressed, the idea of
expediency giving place to that of obligation."
In the analysis of "_I had rather go_," _had_ is the predicate verb, the
infinitive _go_ is the object complement, and the adjective _rather_
completes _had_ and belongs to _go_, i.
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