By: Wenny Diah P.
What is Preference?
Preference in English is an expression of choice or opinion that
someone prefers about objects, activities, people or other things.
Preference dalam bahasa Indonesia memiliki arti preferensi, pilihan,
atau sesuatu yang lebih disukai.
Preferences can relate to various things, such as food, drinks,
hobbies, fashion styles, music, films, and books.
Preference can be expressed through several words, such as these
words: would rather, would prefer, had better, prefer and like.
Asking about Preferences
There are several expressions of asking about preferences that
can be used. Look at the following table!
Which do you prefer, … or …?
Which do you like better, … or …?
Do you prefer … or …?
Would you prefer to … or …?
Would you rather …?
Expressing Preferences
1 Prefer
Prefer is a verb in English which means “to choose”.
Subject + prefer + to infinitive + object
Ex: Lisa prefers to drink mango juice in the morning.
Subject + prefer + V-ing + object + to + V-ing + object
Ex: I prefer watching YouTube to reading book.
Subject + prefer + noun + to + noun
Ex: Sabrina and Salma prefer coffee to tea.
2 Would Prefer
Subject + would prefer + to infinitive + noun + rather than
+ bare infinitive + noun
Ex: I would prefer to take a sleep rather than play a game.
3 Would Rather
Subject + would rather + bare infinitive
Ex: I would rather go now.
Subject + would rather + bare infinitive + than + bare infinitive
Ex: Gabby would rather stay in my house than go home.
4 Like
Subject + like + noun + better than + noun
Ex: Mike likes motorcycle better than car.
Subject + like + V-ing + better than + V-ing
Ex: I like swimming better than hiking.
5 Had Better
Subject + had better + bare infinitive + object
Ex: You had better do your homework.
Giving Responses to Preferences
That’s a great choice
You have a very good taste
So do I. We have the same taste
That’s a unique choice
Well, I’m not really into it, but you had a unique taste
EXERCISE 1
Read the conversation below carefully then answer the questions!
Jihan : Hi, Joshua! Would you prefer apple or mango?
Joshua : Hello, Jihan! I prefer mango to apple. How about you?
Jihan : That’s a great choice. We have the same taste.
Joshua : Let me treat you to mango juice tomorrow.
Jihan : I would love that.
Questions:
1. Which sentence shows an expression of asking about preference?
2. Which sentence shows an expression of preference?
3. Which sentence shows an expression of responding to preference?
4. What fruit does Jihan like?
5. Does Joshua have the same taste as Jihan?
EXERCISE 2
Make a sentence (expressing preference) from each of the patterns above!
