So hard to understand the verb "prefer"

Question

I know the verb "prefer" but I couldn't really get it

e.g.

I prefer red wine to white wine

I would prefer to stay here than go to the cinema

I prefer traveling by myself to/rather than traveling with a tour group.

That's what I learned but why it changes a lot

from to to than to rather than.... : (

Is there any rule it changes? Please answer my question. thank you!

Makka2802 · Accepted Answer

In stating preferences (what you like), "rather than" is interchangeable with 'than', and so it changes for no reason other than the speaker wants to use one but not the other. 'To' is a little bit more restricted than 'than/rather than" in comparisons because a noun must follow it - which is why it cannot preceed 'go'. Instead you can make 'go' into a noun by adding -ing, i.e. "I would prefer to stay here to going to the cinema" - although for this sentence, using the 'than' alternative sounds nicer.

Yoong Liat · Answer

I prefer red wine to white wine. OK
I would prefer to stay here than go to the cinema. I...rather than ...
I prefer traveling by myself to/rather than traveling with a tour group. I prefer traveling by myself to traveling with a tour group.

CalifJim · Answer

mr1binI prefer red wine to white wine
I would prefer to stay here than go to the cinema
I prefer traveling by myself to/rather than traveling with a tour group.

I don't accept the middle one as grammatical.

Use either to or rather than. It's your choice.

But don't use to when comparing infinitives.

I prefer to stay here to to leave. - Wrong.
I prefer to stay here rather than to leave. - Right.

Also, omitting the to of the second infinitive:

I prefer to stay here rather than leave. - Right.

CJ

Kane159 · Answer

Hi CJ
could I use "prefer -ing"?

I prefer staying here rather than leaving.

Thank you!

CalifJim · Answer

kane159could I use "prefer -ing"?
I prefer staying here rather than leaving.

Yes, and if you use the -ing forms of the verbs instead of the to forms (infinitive forms), you can use either to or rather than to connect them.

I prefer staying to leaving.
I prefer staying rather than leaving.

CJ

Mr1bin · Answer

Thanks for the reply everyone and my teacher, CJ.

So I just want to make it clear that

I would prefer to stay here ~~than~~ go to the cinema

I would prefer to stay here rather than go to the cinema

So above the case, "than"is only acceptable?

I prefer traveling by myself to/rather than traveling with a tour group.

And above this, is it ok gramatically?

Makka2802 · Answer

For my benefit CalifJim, why do you think the middle sentence is ungrammatical? Is it personal opinion? I ask because 'than' is used in introducing a comparison, and despite the middle sentence expressing an opinion, it is still a comparison. Have I overlooked something?

Mr1bin · Answer

Those different opinons make me confused : (.

Please could you answer my last question again...

CalifJim · Answer

mr1bin~~I would prefer to stay here than go to the cinema~~

I would prefer to stay here rather than go to the cinema

So above the case, "than"is only acceptable?

"than" is not acceptable, but "rather than" is acceptable.

mr1binI prefer traveling by myself [to/rather than] traveling with a tour group.
And above this, is it ok gramatically?

Yes. All OK.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

makka2802why do you think the middle sentence is ungrammatical?

It doesn't involve a comparison of adjectives or adverbs. See below.

makka2802than' is used in introducing a comparison, and despite the middle sentence expressing an opinion, it is still a comparison.

Ah, yes, you have overlooked something. There are comparisons, and then there are comparisons. In the ordinary sense, you can compare anything to anything else, any action to any action, any event to any event, and so on.

But we're not talking about comparison in an ordinary sense. We're talking about it in the grammatical sense. In terms of grammar, comparison has to do with the -er form of an adjective or adverb (or the equivalent with more). In other words, grammatically there are comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs and these are the ones where than (by itself) is used.

Here are some grammatical comparatives.

This man is richer than that man. Not: richer rather than that man.
This flower is more beautiful than that one. Not: more beautiful rather than that one.
_______________

When you use "prefer", you compare (in the ordinary sense) one noun or verb to another noun or verb. Here you use "rather than" (or "to"). You don't use just "than", because that applies to the adjective or adverb (grammatical) comparisons explained above.

CJ

So hard to understand the verb "prefer"

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