Would Rather
Both would rather and would prefer are used to express preferences in English. Here are some examples of short conversations that use would rather and would prefer to either state or ask for a preference.
John: Let's go out tonight.
Mary: That's a good idea.
John: How about going to a film? There's a new film out with Tom Hanks.
Mary: I'd rather go out for dinner. I'm hungry!
John: Okay. Which restaurant would you prefer?
Mary: I'd prefer to eat at Johnny's. They serve great steaks.
Sue: I'm not sure which topic to choose for my essay.
Debby: Well, what are your choices?
Sue: I can write about the economy or about a book.
Debby: Which would you rather write about?
Sue: I'd prefer to write about a book.
Debby: How about Moby Dick?
Sue: No, I'd rather write about Timothy's Gift.
Would Rather - Structure
Use would rather plus the simple form of the verb. It's common to use would rather in the shortened I'd rather form in positive statements. Use Would rather to refer to the present moment or a future moment in time. Here are the structures:
Positive
Subject + would rather ('d rather) + verb
Peter'd rather spend time on the beach.
I would rather learn a new language than study math.
Question
Would + subject + rather + verb
Would you rather stay at home?
Would they rather do homework tomorrow morning?
Negative
Subject + would rather ('d rather) + not + verb
She'd rather not go to class today.
I'd rather not answer that question.
Would Rather Than
Would rather is often used with than when making a choice between two specific actions:
Would you rather eat dinner out than cook dinner tonight?
She would rather play tennis than go horseback riding.
Would Rather Or
Would rather can also be used to ask for a choice between two with the conjunction or:
Would you rather eat here or go out?
Would you rather study or watch TV?
Would Rather Someone Do
Would rather is also used to express what one person prefers another person would do. The structure is similar to the unreal conditional because it expresses an imaginary wish. However, the form is also used to ask a polite question.
S + would rather + Person + past verb
Tom would rather Mary bought an SUV.
Would you rather she stayed here with us?
Positive
Subject + would rather ('d rather) + object + past tense
I would rather my son worked in finance.
Susan would rather Peter took a plane.
Question
Would + subject + rather + object + past tense
Would you rather her sister flew home tomorrow?
Would you rather he came with us to the meeting?
Would Prefer
It's also possible to use would prefer instead of would rather to speak about present preferences. In this case, follow prefer by the infinitive form of the verb:
Positive
Subject + would prefer ('d prefer) + infinitive (to do)
Jennifer would prefer to stay at home tonight.
The teacher'd prefer to have the test next week.
Question
Would + subject + prefer + infinitive (to do)
Would you prefer to go out for dinner tonight?
Would they prefer to stay in New York for the week?
Expressing Preferences with Prefer
Use the simple present with prefer to express general preferences between people, places or objects. Use the preposition to to state your preference:
Positive
Subject + prefer + object + to + object
She prefers coffee to tea.
I prefer summer vacations to winter vacations.
Question
Do + subject + prefer + object + to + object
Do you prefer wine to beer?
Does she prefer New York to Chicago?
When stating preferences for activities, use prefer followed by either the gerund or the infinitive form of the verb:
Positive
Subject + prefer + to do / doing + object
My friend prefers to finish his chores early in the morning.
Jack prefers doing his homework at home to doing it in the library.
Question
Do + subject + prefer + to do / doing + object
When do you prefer staying at home to going out at night?
Does she prefer to eat in restaurants?
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"عادة ليلية" قد تكون المفتاح للوقاية من الخرف
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ممتص الصدمات: طريقة عمله وأهميته وأبرز علامات تلفه
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المجمع العلمي للقرآن الكريم يقيم جلسة حوارية لطلبة جامعة الكوفة
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