Talking about likes and dislikes is a very popular conversation activity in class, and English learners can use a wide variety of verbs such as like, dislike, love, hate, enjoy, etc. But when it comes to describing what they like best among two or more options, students must know how to use prefer and rather correctly. Read on to learn some of these two common terms.
When to use rather
Rather is an adverb that has several uses, but is often used to express a preference. Note that it is usually preceded by the modal would and followed by a verb. The use of than and or is also common in some patterns with rather.
Examples:
- I’d rather go out for dinner. I’m hungry! – I prefer to go out to dinner. I am hungry.
- We went to the theatre yesterday. Today I would rather go to the cinema. – Yesterday we went to the theater. Today I prefer to go to the movies.
- Peter’d rather spend time on the beach. – Peter prefers to spend his time at the beach.
When to use preferably
Prefer is a verb meaning “to like better”. Notice the use of to and or in some of the following patterns.
Wh-word + prefer
- Which one do you prefer? – Which one do you prefer?
Prefer + gerund/infinitive
- They prefer eating out to cooking at home. – They prefer eating out to cooking at home.
Prefer + noun
- I prefer the red dress. – I prefer the red dress.
Prefer as a noun
- Do you have a preference? – Do you have a preference?
Other options
Some other ways of expressing preferences in English include the verb like with better or more. Negative preferences can be expressed with like less or dislike more.
- She likes the color blue better than green. – She likes the color blue better than green.
- I like Chinese food less than Japanese food. – I like Chinese food less than Japanese food.
Learn the difference between rather and prefer
If you want to learn more grammar tricks like the difference between too and enough, the best thing to do is to start as soon as possible. At FunTalk we have English courses for all ages and levels, so you can learn at your own pace and defend yourself perfectly in this language.
