use

There are different ways we can ask about preferences. To ask about people’s general tastes or
preferences we can use one of the following. They all have the same meaning:

Which do you prefer tea or coffee?

I prefer tea to coffee.

Which do you prefer drinking tea or coffee?

I prefer drinking tea to coffee.

Which do you prefer to drink tea or coffee? (Notice: prefer to + present simple)

I prefer to drink tea than coffee.

Which do you like better tea or coffee?

I like tea better than coffee.

Do you prefer tea or coffee?

I prefer tea to coffee.

At a specific time

Imagine that a friend is visiting your home. You offer to make them a drink. You ask:

Would you prefer tea or coffee?

Tea, please.
Unreal situations

For unreal situations we use ‘would’:

Unfortunately, there is no chance that you will marry Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp. It is an unreal situation,
so we ask (Notice that 'rather' is always followed by a verb'):

Would you rather marry Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp?

I’d rather marry Johnny Depp than Brad Pitt. I think he’s sexier!

Another example of this would be:

Would you rather be a bird or a dolphin?

I’d rather be a bird than a dolphin because I don’t like fish!

Negative answers

Would you rather marry Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp?

I’d rather not marry either. I’d rather marry David Beckham.
Would you rather be a bird or a dolphin?

I’d rather not be either. I'd rather be a cow.

Now complete the sentences using the correct word:

( go to 'Wh...questions' practice )

(How to use passives)

(How to use 'used to' for past habits)

Would you ___ to meet at 6 or 7?

rather

would rather

prefer

Who do you ___ Chelsea or Manchester United?

prefer

better

rather
Which do you ___ better McDonanld's or Burger King?

rather

like

prefer

Would you ___ go to the cinema or to a restaurant?

rather

prefer

like better

Which do you ___ eat chocolate or ice-cream?

prefer

rather

prefer to

Who does she ___ you or me?

rather

prefer to

like better

I would rather ___ go to either.

to

not

prefer
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There are different ways we can ask about preferences.

Expressing specific preference:

When we speak about a specific preference,would rather and would prefer have the same meaning and
are interchangeable.

Example:

We went to the theatre yesterday. Today I would rather go to the cinema.

We went to the theatre yesterday. Today I would prefer to go to the cinema.

Expressing general preference

When we talk about general preferences, we can use prefer or would rather.
Examples:

I prefer walking to cycling.

I would rather walk than cycle.

Would rather can be abbreviated to 'd rather.

Would prefer can be abbreviated to 'd prefer.

I'd rather go to the cinema.

I'd prefer to go to the cinema.

Difference in form:

Followed by a different verb form:

“I prefer walking to cycling.” (followed by the gerund; the '-ing' ending)

“I'd prefer to go to the cinema.” (followed by the infinitive; to+ the verb)

“I would rather walk than cycle.” (followed by the base form of the verb; the verb without 'to'.
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Preference dalam bahasa Inggris ungkapan pilihan atau pendapat yang lebih disukai seseorang tentang
benda, kegiatan, orang atau yang lainnya. Preference dapat diungkapkan melalui beberapa kata, seperti
kata ini: would rather, would prefer, had better, prefer dan like.

1. would rather

Would rather + bare infinitives (kata kerja tanpa to)

Would rather + bare infinitives + than + bare infinitives

Would rather + bare infinitives + nouns + than + bare infinitives + nouns

Contoh:

• I would rather go now (Saya lebih baik pergi sekarang)

• Gio would rather stay in my house than go home (Gio lebih baik tinggal di rumah saya daripada pulang
ke rumahnya)

• You’d rather speak English than french. (Kamu lebih baik bicara bahasa Inggris daripada bahasa
Perancis)

2. Would Prefer

Would prefer + to infinitives + rather than + bare infinitives

Would prefer + to infinitives + nouns + rather than + bare infinitives + nouns

Contoh:

• I would prefer to live in a warm country rather than in a cold city

(Saya lebih baik tinggal di negara yang panas dibandingkan di kota yang dingin)

• You’d prefer to do something rather than take a sleep

(Kamu lebih baik melakukan sesuatu dari pada tidur)

3. Had better
Had better + bare infinitives

Had better + not + bare infinitives (bentuk negative)

Contoh:

• You had better study Dutch regularly (Kamu lebih baik belajar Bahasa Belanda teratur)

• You had better not go to there (Kamu lebih baik tidak usah pergi ke sana)

4. Prefer

Prefer + to infinitive

Prefer + nouns + to + nouns

Prefer + V-ing + to + V-ing

Contoh:

• I prefer to live in a village than in a city (Saya lebih suka tinggal di desa dari pada di kota)

• My brother prefer football to tennis (Saya lebih suka sepak bola dari pada tenis)
• Ryan prefers walking to riding a car (Ryan lebih suka berjalan dari pada mengendarai mobil)

5. Like

Like + nouns / V-ing + better than + nouns / V-ing

Contoh:

• I like swimming better than jogging (Saya lebih suka berenang daripada joging)

• I like apples better than bananas. (Saya lebih suka apel daripada pisang)

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