• I’d rather stay at home tonight than go to the cinema.

• I’d rather read than watch TV. Я лучше буду читать, чем смотреть телевизор.

• He would sooner die than face them. Он скорее умрет, чем встретится с ними лицом к лицу.

• He would rather play tennis than (play) football. Он лучше будет играть в теннис, чем в футбол.

• I'd rather ski than skate.

2. Expressing preferences with ‘I prefer’ and ‘I would prefer’

1)

I prefer to do and I prefer doing

• I prefer to wait (so I’ll wait if you don’t mind)

• I prefer waiting. (= I’m waiting and I prefer doing that)

• I don’t like cities. I prefer to live in the country. or I prefer living in the country.

2)

I prefer something to something else I prefer doing something to doing something else. (general preference) I prefer to do something rather than (do) something else. (general preference)

• I prefer tea to coffee. I prefer (drinking) tea to (drinking) coffee.

• I prefer driving to travelling by train.

• I prefer to drive rather than travel by train.

• Ann prefers to live in the country rather than (live) in a city.

• I prefer to dress casually rather than formally.

• I prefer to eat what I want rather than count calories.

I would prefer (I’d prefer) to do something I’d prefer something to something else I’d prefer to do/I’d prefer not to do (Present or Future reference) I’d prefer to have done/I’d prefer not to have done (Past reference)

3)

• I’d prefer tea to coffee. What would you prefer to have?

• Shall we go by train? - Well, I’d prefer to go by car. /Well, I’d prefer not to go by train.

• I’d prefer to live in London. Cf. I’d rather live in London.

• I’d prefer to have travelled by train.

I’d prefer to do something rather than do something.(specific preference)

4)

• I’d prefer to stay at home tonight rather than go to the cinema. Cf. I’d rather stay at home tonight than go to the cinema.

• I’d prefer to go hiking rather than go horse riding.

• I’d prefer to take a taxi rather than walk home.

5) I’d prefer can be used as part of a Second Conditional Sentence. Note that ‘prefer’ in this type of sentence has an object ‘it’.

• I’d prefer it if you didn’t go.

6) I’d prefer you not to go.

3. Expressing advice with ‘had better’ (I’d better, you’d better) (= It is a good idea to do; It would be good to do). ‘had better’ = ‘should’

1)

You had better go. /You had better not go. (Present or Future reference, immediate future)

We use had better to give advice only for a particular situation (not for things in general).

We can use should in all types of situation to give an opinion or to give advice.

Had better is stronger than should and ought to.

Had better carries a hint of threat, warning or urgency, there is always a danger or a problem if you don’t follow the advice.

• You had better take an aspirin. Тебе лучше принять аспирин.

• I’d better phone Carol, hadn’t I?

• You had better tell me all about it. Hadn’t you better tell me all about it??

• You’d better not keep her waiting. (= You should not keep her waiting.)

• You'd better leave it as it is. Тебе лучше оставить все как есть.

• You had better apologise to Sonya.

Cf. ‘It’s cold today. You’d better wear a coat when you go out.’ a particular situation) and ‘I think all drivers should wear seat belts.’ (in general - not ‘had better wear’)

Note: ‘had better’ cannot be used in the past or the comparative.

2)

It would have been better if ... (Past reference)

• It would have been better if you had taken an aspirin. (but you didn’t)

• It would have been better if I had phoned Carol. = (I should have phoned Carol.)

• It would have been better if you hadn’t kept her waiting. (but you did)