Modal construction had better most often used to express recommendations. It can also be used to express despair or have a connotation of warning or threat.

For example:
You had better take your umbrella with you today.
Today for you better take an umbrella with you. ( Expresses a recommendation.)

That bus had better get here soon!
Faster would already this bus has arrived! ( Expresses desperation.)

You had better watch the way you talk to me in the future!
From now on you better watch how you talk to me! ( Expresses a warning, a threat.)

Using the modal construction had better in the present, past and future tenses

In most cases, use modal verbs and constructions in the past and future tense are different from other verbs. The table below shows use of modal construction had better in different situations.

In spoken English had better often pronounced as better .

1. Put rather or better. Translate the sentences.

1. We’d ____ stay inside until the rain stops.
2. You’d ____ leave before it gets dark.
3. I’d ____ you didn’t wear jeans in the office.
4. I’d ____ stay hungry than have to eat that fish.
5. You’d ____ not phone her now. She's probably putting her baby to bed.
6. You’d ____ stay in bed today. You look pale.
7. I’d ____ send an e-mail than write a letter.
8. You’d ____ watch the steps.
9. Can I borrow your camera? – I’d ____ you didn’t.
10. He’d ____ give up smoking as soon as possible.

2. Put had better or had better not. Translate.

1. Bob is very angry with her. She ____ do that again.
2. You ____ touch my laptop again.
3. We ____ study a bit harder.
4. The restaurant is always crowded. We ____ book a table in advance.
5. I have to be at the station in 15 minutes. I ____ leave right now.
6. This is her first day at work. She ____ be late.
7. You ____ drive carefully. You've already had some accidents this year.
8. It's going to rain. We ____ take an umbrella.

3. Complete the sentences according to the example:

For example: I’ll go shopping if you really want me to, but ____. - I’ll go shopping if you really want me to, but I’d rather you went. (I'll go to the store if you want, but I'd like you to go.)

1. I’ll spend the money if you really want me to, but I’d rather your dad ____ .
2. I’ll cook roast turkey if you really want me to, but I’d rather you ____ .
3. I’ll iron your shirt if you really want me to, but I’d rather Victor ____ .
4. I’ll take out the garbage if you really want me to, but I’d rather Mary ____ .
5. I’ll do the washing up if you really want me to, but I’d rather Tim ____ .

4. Use would rather or would rather not. Translate.

1. Kevin, let's go to New York by train. – I ____ go by car.
2. What did Mr. Jackson tell you? – I ____ tell you.
3. Would you like a cup of tea? – I ____ have hot chocolate.
4. Do you feel like going out tonight? – No, I ____ stay at home.
5. I don’t feel quite well this morning. I ____ go to school today.
6. I ____ die than apologize to you.

Answers:

1. better (We better stay inside until the rain stops.)
2. better (You better leave before it gets dark.)
3. rather (I wish you wouldn't wear jeans to the office.)
4. rather (I would rather stay hungry than eat that fish.)
5. better (You better not call her now. She might be putting the baby to bed.)
6. better (You better stay in bed today. You look pale.)
7. rather (I would rather send an email than write a regular one.)
8. better (Better look at the steps more closely.)
9. rather (Can I borrow your camera? – Better not.)
10. better (He better quit smoking as soon as possible.)

1. had better not (Bob is very angry with her. She better not do that again.)
2. had better not (It’s better if you don’t touch my laptop anymore.)
3. had better (It’s better for us to study more.)
4. had better (The restaurant is always full of people. We better book a table in advance.)
5. had better (I need to be at the station in 15 minutes. It’s better if I leave right now.)
6. had better not (It's her first day at work. She shouldn't be late.)
7. had better (You better drive carefully. You've already had several accidents this year.)
8. had better (It's going to rain. We better take an umbrella.)

1. ...but I’d rather your dad spent it. (I'll spend the money if that's what you want, but I'd like your father to spend it.)
2. ...but I’d rather you cooked it. (I'll make roast turkey if you're so inclined, but I'd like you to cook it.)
3. ...but I’d rather Victor ironed it. (I'll iron the shirt if you want, but I'd like Victor to iron it.)
4. ...but I’d rather Mary took it out. (I'll take out the trash if that's what you want, but I'd like Mary to take it out.)
5. ...but I’d rather Tim did it. (I'll wash the dishes if you want, but I'd like Tim to do the washing.)

1. would rather (Kevin, let's go to New York by train. - I would rather go by car.)
2. would rather not (What did Mr. Jackson tell you? - I would rather not say it.)
3. would rather (Would you like a cup of tea? - I would prefer hot chocolate.)
4. would rather (Do you want to go somewhere tonight? - No, I would prefer to stay at home.)
5. would rather not (I don't feel well this morning. I'd rather not go to school today.)
6. would rather (I would rather die than apologize to you.)

What to choose: had better or would rather? And what is there after the apostrophe in the abbreviated form I’d, you’d - would or had? How not to get confused? During grammar intensive lessons via Skype, you can work with your teacher schools English Voyage will analyze all the nuances in detail in person. In the meantime, a little theory with examples. Like sentences with, the phrases had better or would rather express a hypothetical meaning, that is, an assumed, unreal one.

Had better (not) - better, it would be better

means a better, wiser choice, a suitable alternative in a particular situation. This modal phrase may imply urgency, advice, warning or threat.

For example:

1. Youhad better go now(it would be good, wise or suitable for you to go now).

You better go.

2. If he took your key, you'd better change the locks.

If he took your key, you better change the locks.

3.Your dog had better not dig up my rose bush!

It would be better if your dog didn't dig up my roses.

Had better: use

1. Synonyms had better:

— ought to do something

— should do something.

2. In negative sentences better is put before not.

You had better not go now.

3. The short form ‘d’ is very common. e.g. You'd better - you HAD better.

4. The negative form hadn’t better is mainly used in questions: Hadn't we better change our clothes? “Wouldn’t it be better if we changed our clothes?”

5. Sometimes had is omitted in colloquial speech: e.g. I better try again later.

would rather - would prefer, perhaps

expresses choice and means "would rather do something"

For example:

1.I would rather do it tomorrow.

I'll probably do it tomorrow. (I'd rather do it tomorrow.)

2.I' d rather stay at university than go home now — I need to finish this difficult assignment.

I'd rather stay at the university than go home now - I need to finish this difficult assignment.

3. I'd rather have a snack. (than drink water)

I'll probably have a snack (rather than drink water).

would rather: use

1. would rather = prefer

2. WOULD RATHER + SUBJECT + PAST SIMPLE/CONTINUOUS - we use it if we want someone else did something in present or future.

For example:

I'd rather you didn't go to Spain alone. You better not go to Spain alone. (I'd rather you didn't go to Spain alone.)

3. WOULD RATHER + SUBJECT + PAST PERFECT - used to express dissatisfaction with what someone did in past.

For example:

I'd rather you wouldn't gone to Spain alone. It would be better if you didn't go to Spain alone. (I'd rather you didn't go to Spain alone.)

4. The short form ‘d’ is very common. e.g. I'd rather - I WOULD rather.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that after the phrases had better or would rather the infinitive is used without particles to.

For example:

We' d better go. We better go.

I' d rather stay there. I'll probably stay there.

Hello guys! What's shaking? I hope that everything is fine with you and that you are full of strength and enthusiasm to continue learning English! Tamara and the Puzzle English channel are with you again!

Today on our agenda we have the topic of would rather, would prefer and had better - what is the difference between them and when to use them?
To begin with, they all express preference or advice in one form or another, but in different ways. Let's first look at the constructions would rather and would prefer, and then we will deal with had better.
Usually we translate would rather as “I would prefer, perhaps it would be better,” that is, we express preference for some reason. And before giving examples, I want to note that this construction is used with the infinitive of a verb without the particle to, so be careful!
This is what this construction looks like in a sentence:
I would rather stay at home than go to school.
I would rather stay at home than go to school. (stay is exactly the same infinitive of the verb without the particle to)
By the way, would can easily be shortened and said I’d rather instead of I would rather.
I would rather eat meat than fish for lunch.
I would rather eat meat than fish for dinner.
When we use would rather, it means that we have a choice and we can prefer one thing to another.
But we don't always talk about ourselves. Sometimes we want someone to do something. In this case, the sentence construction scheme will change slightly and will look like this:
Would rather + Subject + Past Simple
Let's look at an example:
I would rather you put on your coat. It's cold outside.
I'd like you to put on your coat. It's cold outside.
I would rather you did this task. I would like you to do this assignment.
If we are talking about the past tense, then instead of Past Simple we will use Past Perfect.
Like this:
He would rather Pam had gone to Italy last summer.
He wishes Pam had gone to Italy last summer.
I would rather you had taken your medicine.
You better take your medicine. (Means took the medicine then - in the past)
What if I need to construct a negative sentence with the construction would rather? How to do it right? Yes, very simple! Just add not after rather. And this is what you get:
I would rather not go outside today. It's too hot.
I'd rather not go out today. It's too hot.
If we want to say that another person should not do something, then we will use either didn’t, or wasn’t, or weren’t. Like this:
I’d rather you didn’t go to the club without me.
I wish you wouldn't go to the club without me.
And if your girlfriend has already gone to the club without you and you want to say that you didn’t like her action, then build your sentence like this:
I’d rather you hadn’t gone to the club without me.
It would be better if you didn't go to the club without me.
Well, I hope you are not very jealous, and yet you will not be angry with her for long!
And we move on! Everything is clear with negative sentences, but interrogative ones are still in the fog. So let's be clear! The proposal construction scheme will be as follows:
Would + Subject + rather + verb infinitive without the particle to
Would you rather eat porridge or pancakes for breakfast?
Would you prefer porridge or pancakes for breakfast?

When there are two subjects in a sentence, we will use Past Simple for events in the present and future and Past Perfect for events in the past:
Would you rather she was honest with you?
Would you rather she were honest with you? (meaning in the present or future)
Would you rather she wasn't honest with you?
Would you rather she wasn't honest with you? (present or future)
Would you rather she had been honest with you?
Would you like her to be honest with you? (in the past)
Would you rather she hadn’t been honest with you?
Would you rather she wasn't honest with you? (here we also mean dishonest in the past)
Well, this is generally the main thing that needs to be said about would rather.

Now let's talk about would prefer. This design is similar to would rather, but it has a slight difference. After the infinitive of the verb, would rather does not have the particle to, but would prefer does.
See:
I would prefer to take a taxi rather than to go on foot.
I would rather take a taxi than walk.
Important note! You can’t just say THAN, you can only say RATHER THAN!
Let's go further:
I would prefer another restaurant.
I would prefer another restaurant.
If we build a negative sentence, it will turn out like this:
I would prefer not to go on foot.
I'd rather not walk.
Well, if we need to ask a question, then we will construct it as follows:
Would you prefer to take a taxi or go on foot?
Would you like to take a taxi or walk?
Would you prefer another restaurant?
Would you prefer another restaurant?

If we want to express a preference for the actions of another person, then we use the following scheme:
Would prefer + object pronoun (me, her, him, it, us, them) + to with verb infinitive
She would prefer us to come as soon as possible.

Or! You can construct the same sentence using a different scheme. Like this:
Would prefer + it if + pronoun + past simple:
She would prefer it if we came as soon as possible.
She would like us to come as soon as possible.
Choose any of these options, you can't go wrong!

These were all affirmative sentences, where there were two subjects, and we still had negative and interrogative ones. So don't relax, friends, let's go!
Negative sentences are built very simply, we just need to add the particle not before to, like this:
She would prefer you not to call her late at night.
She'd rather you didn't call her late at night.
Regarding interrogative sentences, then they are also not so difficult to build.
First we put would, then the subject, + prefer, then the noun or pronoun, and then to and the infinitive of the verb.
See what happens:
Would you prefer me to read it out loud?
Would you like me to read this out loud?
Would you prefer me to drive a car?
Do you want me to drive?

This is what I would prefer. But we still have the had better design. But we will analyze this construction in the next lesson, so don’t miss it! To check how well you have mastered this topic, follow the link to the Puzzle English website, register and complete the exercise. Tamara was with you, bye!

Hello guys! I hope everyone watched the lesson on would rather, would prefer? If not, watch it first because it's a continuation of that tutorial. Today's lesson will be devoted to the had better construction. Tamara and the Puzzle English channel are with you again!

We use the construction had better in the present and future to say that something is desirable and “it would be better” to do or, conversely, not to do in any situation.
When constructing a sentence with had better, we will not use to after the infinitive of the verb, as in the case of would rather. It is also worth noting that in informal speech we use the abbreviation - instead of had- apostrophe d (‘d).
It’s eight o’clock, I’d better go now.
It's already eight o'clock, it's time for me to go.
Had better is a fairly strong expression; we use it when we believe that if something is not done, there may be negative consequences.
That is, we don't use it when we talk about preferences, we use it when we talk about specific recommendations.
Let's now deal with had better in negative sentences. To form one, we just need to add a particle after had. Let's look at a couple of examples:
I'd better not tell her about this.
It's better for me not to tell her about this.
He had better not start this conversation at all.
It's better for him not to start this conversation at all.

Now let's move on to the questions. To ask a question with had better, you need to put had at the very beginning of the sentence. Here's an example:
Had I better speak to Jess first before I send this letter?
Should I talk to Jess first before sending this letter?
It should be noted that such questions are extremely rare. More often, instead of them you can hear a question starting with Should.

Well, we've come to the end! Be sure to listen to this lesson again in a day or two and follow the link to the English puzzle website to do the exercises and consolidate the material you have covered. And Tamara and the Puzzle English channel were with you! See you!

There is no guarantee that you will react correctly and competently in any situation. In this foreign language a lot of all kinds of constructions and expressions that simply need to be studied, if only because they are very widely used in speech, both written and oral. Then you will easily understand what exactly (specifically) the interlocutor wanted to say, what he wanted to emphasize, what shade he wanted to give to his words. Moreover, you can easily answer in the same vein, and simply express your opinion, based on such popular speech patterns in English.

Let's talk about famous expressions prefer And would rather (would sooner). Despite the fact that in meaning these constructions refer to the same topic - I want, I prefer - they have differences both in the shade that they give to speech and in their use, which contains its own grammatical nuances. In order to more clearly present these important points, we will not mix these expressions, but consider them separately, thereby forming a clear idea of ​​how, where and when it is necessary usewould rather (would sooner) Andprefer.

Use prefer

We will start directly with the verb “prefer” - prefer. We use this verb with an infinitive with a particle to (prefer to do something) or with a gerund ( prefer doing something) . Both of these designs are absolutely equivalent. They express a person’s preferences in general, that is, they determine what a person always likes, and not in a specific situation. It is important to grasp the meaning of a general rather than a specific nature.

I prefer to live in the country. – I prefer to live outside the city.

I prefer phoning people to writing letters. – I like calling people more than writing letters to them.

I prefer to stay up late at night. – I prefer to go to bed late at night.

She prefers giving gifts rather than receiving them. – She likes giving gifts more than receiving them.

To clearly remember the correct structure of a construction with the verb “ prefer", you need to learn several sentences that represent the algorithm for its use. There are three such samples:

1. I prefer something to something else– I prefer something to something
2. I prefer doing something to doing something else– I prefer to do this rather than that
3. I prefer to do something rather than (do) something– see option 2

I prefer meat to fish. - I prefer meat rather than fish.

I prefer going to the theater to watching plays on television. - I prefer to go to the theater rather than watch plays on TV.

I prefer to live in the country rather than (live) in the city. - I prefer to live in the countryside than in the city.

Unlike using just a verb prefer, use of expression would prefer does not imply the preferences of a person in general, but his wishes and needs in a particular situation. In other words, someone wants something (to do something) right now, even if in a more general sense in life he does not have a preference for it. We also highlight two samples according to which you can compose all subsequent sentences you need:

1. Would you prefer...? -What would you like? Which do you prefer? (in a certain situation).

Would you prefer tea or coffee? Coffee, please. - Will you have tea or coffee? Coffee, please.

1. I would prefer to do something rather than do something else. (I would prefer one over the other).
   

   I'd prefer to read a book. – I would read a book.

   I'd prefer to eat at home rather than go out. – I would prefer to eat at home rather than go to some establishment.

note that would in these constructions it is almost always used in abbreviated form - I would=I'd…

Use would rather (would sooner)

The second is very useful expression – would rather– is analogous to the previous one I would prefer. Semantic meaning these three designs ( would rather, would sooner, would prefer) are the same, but there is a very small, but quite significant nuance in the grammatical design. After would prefer we use the infinitive with a particle to (to do), and after the other two – without a particle to (do). Accordingly, the sample for memorizing with consumptionwouldrather will look like this: I'd rather do something than do something else.

Shall we go by train? Well, I'd prefer to go by car. I'd rather go by car. - Shall we go by train? Well, I would go by car.

I’d rather walk in the park than go to the cinema. – I would rather take a walk in the park than go to the cinema.

I'd rather wait for a few minutes. – I would wait a few minutes.

He said he would sooner stay at home. “He said he would prefer to stay at home.”

And one more rule regarding the use would rather (would sooner): when we want someone else to do something, or are trying to say that it is preferable for another person to do something, we turn to this construction - would rather someone do something. Please pay special attention that the verb in this case will be in the simple past tense, but we will be talking about actions of the present or future.

I’d rather you cooked dinner now. - I would like you to prepare dinner now.

I'd rather you told her. “I would prefer that you tell her.”

My mother would rather we caught the bus, rather than walk home after the party. “Mom would prefer that we take the bus home after the party rather than walk.”

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