LESSON
GRAMMAR
Would rather
and
would prefer
STUDY
would rather
and
would prefer
Ben
would rather
work
in the front office.
He
’d rather
in the front office
than
in the back office.
Ben
would prefer to work
in the front office.
He
’d prefer
the job
in the front office
to
the job in the back office.
Would
you
rather work
in the front or in the back?
Would
you
prefer
an email or a printed copy?
PRACTICE
A
Circle the correct words.
1.
I’d prefer
look / to look
for a new job.
2.
I’d rather talk to the supervisor now
to / than
wait until later.
3.
I’d prefer a raise
to / than
a new job title.
4.
I’d
prefer / rather
to work in a different office.
5.
She
had / would
rather answer the phones.
6.
He’d
rather / prefer
work with computers than with people.
B
On a separate piece of paper, write questions with
would rather
or
would prefer
,
using the words in parentheses.
1.
(work in an office / work outside)
Would you rather work in an office
or work outside?
2.
(a busy office / a quiet office)
C
PAIRS
Ask and answer the questions in Exercise B.
GROUPS
Write ten verbs on index cards or small pieces of paper. Mix them up and
put them face down on the table. Take turns drawing a card and making a sentence
with
would rather
or
would prefer
, using the verb on the card.
I would rather go to a movie than go shopping.
would rather
would prefer
Questions
3.
(talk to customers / work on the
computer)
4.
(high salary / good benefits)
5.
(use a computer / fix things)
6.
(a job you love / a job that pays very well)
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
5
●
Would prefer
can also be followed by
a gerund:
Ben would prefer working
in the front office.
●
When comparing with
would rather
,
use
than
.
●
When comparing nouns with
would
prefer
, use
to
between the nouns.
Grammar Note
UNIT 2
25
