ENGLISH VII

Expressing Preferences We often use words like prefer, would prefer, would rather to talk or ask about preferences. "I prefer living on my own." "Would you prefer to see a movie or go to a club?" "Would you rather   go shopping with me?" Those expressions are quite different in meaning and this is why learners of English often find them challenging. So here is how we can separate them: Difference in meaning: We tend to use 'prefer' to talk generally about likes, dislikes, what we want. “He prefers reading books.” “I prefer going to the beach than going to a swimming pool.” The expressions 'would prefer' and 'would rather', to be a little more specific. “I would prefer to see him in person.” “I would rather go home now.” Difference in form: Followed by a different verb form: “I prefer living in a city.” (followed by the gerund; the '-ing' ending) “I would prefer to be told the truth.” (...