EXPRESSING PREFERENCE

• PREFER:    +   Noun +TO + Noun :  I prefer coffee to tea

                         +  -ING  Form + TO + ING Form    :     I  prefer  skiing to swimming.  = to talk about general preferences

                         +   TO  Infinitive + RATHER THAN + Bare Infinitive :    I prefer to eat fish rather than (eat) meat  to talk about general preferences

• WOULD PREFER +  TO Infinitive  : Would you like to have a cup of coffee? I’d prefer to have some water. = To talk about specific preference

                                        ♪  Another clause  can be introduced by rather than + bare infinitive : He’d prefer to stay at home rather than drive

                                                                                                                                                             to the restaurant

                                        ♪  Prefer takes an object when we want to introduce a new subject: I would prefer her to stay at home

• WOULD RATHER/SOONER  

           SAME SUBJECT :             followed by the bare infinitive: I'd rather play football than golf   but   I prefer football to golf

                                                   Or the Perfect Infinitive: I'd rather have stayed at home

                DIFFERENT SUBJECT: → Use a Past Tense with present or future meaning:  Shall I open the window? I'd rather you didn't

                                                      → Use a Past Perfect  with past meaning:  I'd rather you hadn't called him old

•  HAD BETTER + Bare Infinitive  (= should/ought)

                             You had/'d  better  book your flight early
                             I'd better not take out a loan; I won't be able to pay it back

      This structure is used to give advice or to say what the best thing to do in a particular situation is. Had better  is more emphatic than Should or Ought to  but it is not as emphatic as Must

                            You must see a lawyer . (strong advice)
                            You had better see a lawyer ( less emphatic than "Must")

                            You should/ought to see a lawyer ( even less emphatic)