The expression had better in English. Sentences with would rather. Modal construction Had Better in English. Features of the use of the construction would rather I d rather rule of use

Sometimes the use of the expressions had better and would rather, as well as the verb prefer, causes difficulties, so let's figure it out. In short, the difference is as follows:

Using the expression HAD BETTER

We use the expression had better when we express our opinion about what another person should do, how the other should act. Such proposals are sometimes similar to advice.

You had better go and look with a candle. - Better go and look with a candle.

You had better apply to Lambert! “You’d better contact Lambert.”

Also, the sentence often talks about what might happen if the person does not do as you say:

She’d better get here soon or she’ll miss the opening ceremony. “She better hurry up, otherwise she’ll be late for the opening ceremony.”

Had better can also be used to refer to yourself in ‘ I'd rather' or ' it would be better for us’:

I thought I had better come myself. “I thought it would be better for me to come myself.”

I think we had better change the subject before you get yourself overexcited. “I think it’s best to change the subject before you get too nervous.”

Note that we use had better to talk about the present and future without changing the form.

It's six o'clock. I'd better go now. “It’s already six o’clock, I’d better leave now.” (Present tense)

You had better not be here tomorrow. - It’s better for you to get out of here before tomorrow! (Future)

To form a negation with had better you need to add not after this expression:

I'd better not leave my bag there. “It’s better not to leave your backpack here.”

To form an interrogative sentence, Had is written before the subject.

Had I better speak to Jillian first? “Perhaps it would be better if I talked to Gillian first?”

Synonyms for the phrase had better are the modal verbs and.

Sometimes in colloquial speech you can hear instead of had better had best:

You 'd best come on Monday. There's no one in the office now. – It’s better for you to come on Monday. There is no one in the office right now.

Use of the phrase WOULD RATHER.

We will use would rather to express preference:

I’d rather have tea than coffee - I would rather drink tea than coffee.

I would rather leave. – I would prefer to leave.

Instead of would rather you can use would sooner (would rather=would sooner)

I would sooner come with you. I feel I must come with you. - I would prefer to go with you. I feel like I should go with you.

Would rather be used only after I and WE. (We talk about our preferences).

If with would rather you want to express a preference that concerns another person, then you need to use the following patterns:

Would rather + person + past tense (for present or future)

I would rather you didn't tell anyone about our plans. “I would like you not to tell anyone about our plans.”

Would rather + person + past perfect (for the past)

I would rather you hadn’t spent so much money last month - What a pity that you spent so much money last month. (I'd rather you didn't spend it)

Using the verb PREFER

The verb prefer is synonymous with the expression would rather, but you should remember how to use it correctly.

Prefer smth. to smth.

I prefer tea to coffee.

Prefer doing something to doing something

I prefer drinking tea to drinking coffee.

Prefer to do rather than (do)

I prefer to drink tea rather than (drink) coffee

Reinforce the rule again and let's start doing the exercises.

Exercises on had better // would rather // prefer

Exercise 1 . Complete the following sentences using HAD BETTER/´D BETTER and HAD BETTER NOT and an appropriate expression from the following list.

1. I have to be at school in ten minutes. __________
2. You don't look very well. You ________________
3. I'm worried. Tom should have been here by now. I___________________________
4. The restaurant is usually crowded. We___________________________
5. I won’t have time to go out for lunch. I ____________________________
6. I was very angry with you. You ______________________

Exercise 2. Complete the dialogues using WOULD RATHER (´d rather) or WOULD RATHER NOT (‘d rather not) and the following phrases.

have some hot chocolate, go to Italy, watch a film on TV, go by train, go to school today, say

Frank: Let's go to London by car.

Dan: _______________________________________ (1)

Mikel: Do you prefer to go to Italy or France this summer?

Rachel: _______________________________________ (2)

Ron: What did Alice tell you?

Gil: _______________________________________ (3)

Liz: Do you feel like going to the movies this evening?

Rina: No, _____________________________________ (4)

Nora: What's the matter?

Sheila: I don’t feel very well. _________________________ (5)

Vera: Would you like some coffee?

Simon: ________________________________________ (6)

Exercise 3. Rewrite the following sentences using had better or would rather

1. I don't want to play chess. Let's play poker.
2. It isn't a good idea to invite him.
3. I don’t want to go to a restaurant. I want to eat at home.
4. Your nails are too long. You should trim them.
5. If I were in your shoes, I would paint that wall yellow.

Exercise 4. Choose the correct answer.

1.You ………………………………… so much yesterday.

a) would rather I didn’t drink b) had better haven’t drunk

c) would rather drink d) had better not drink

2. ‘Are the children sleepy?’ ‘Yes, they ……………………………………... to bed.

a) would rather go b) have rather go

c) had better go d) would rather have gone

3. You’d better……………………………. talk to that man.

a) not to talk b) don’t talk

c) don't talk d) didn't talk

4. She’d rather ……………………………… than go to university.

a) work b) worked

c) to work d) have worked

5. I’d rather you………………………... than went to university.

a) work b) to work

c) worked d) working

I’d rather you ………………………………… alone. It was a mistake.

a) lived b) live

c) have lived d) had lived

Answers to the exercises.

1. I'd better leave now.
2. You had better go to the doctor.
3. I had better ask his friends if they know where he is.
4. We had better book a table in advance.
5. Had better take a sandwich.
6. You had better not do that again.

1. I would rather go by train.
2. I would rather go to Italy.
3. I would rather not say.
4. I would rather watch a film on TV.
5. I would rather not go to school today.
6. I would rather have some hot chocolate.

1. I would rather play poker.
2. We had better not invite them
3. I would rather eat at home.
4. You had better trim your nails.
5. You had better paint that wall yellow.

Exercise 4. 1 d, 2 c, 3 c, 4 a, 5 c, 6 d

Do you want your speech to become more rich? Then why not pay attention to two useful designs - had better And would rather? The main thing is to understand what difference between them, and learn to use these expressions correctly. In this article, we'll take a look at the usage, meaning, and examples that will surely help you incorporate this sweet pairing into your speech.

HAD BETTER \ WOULD RATHER - difference and use

When to use had better, and when would rather? Of course, we can't understand difference without delving into the meaning and translation of these constructions.

HAD BETTER – can be compared to a modal verb should since this phrase serves to express advice, recommendation. Most often in the Russian version the design sounds like this “you’re better...”, “he’s better...” etc. That is, this is how it literally comes out in translation, if we discard "had". Please note that "had" in a phrase "had better" does not change in any way and has no footnote to the past tense.

WOULD RATHER - this design is also compared to something. Typically this is a verb "prefer". This happens for a reason. By itself "would rather" expresses preference. Most often in context we are talking about choosing between several possible options. Let's delve into the translation of the word "rather". The dictionary will give us several very interesting meanings: “more willing”, “preferable”, “better”. Generally, "would rather" translated as follows: “better”, “perhaps”, “I would prefer”. And this is no longer advice, but a person’s conscious choice to do or not do something.

Please note that both expressions are used with the initial form of the verb without a particle TO.

HAD BETTER \ WOULD RATHER – difference in examples

Now it's time to look at more examples with had better And would rather so that we will never be misled again difference between structures.

Examples with had better

Examples with would rather

In cases where it is necessary to use negation with had better or would rather it’s enough just to put a negative particle after these constructions NOT. And then the semantic verb simply follows without TO.

You'd better not smoke here.- You better not smoke here.

Surely you noticed that in our examples abbreviations were used - ‘d better\‘d rather. This is quite normal in colloquial speech.

If you have a question, what is the difference between a modal verb should from design had better, then we would like to point out that should usually expresses more general advice. Had better it also serves to express a recommendation that is related to a specific situation.

Examples:

You'd better put a raincoat on. The weather is getting worse.- You better (should) wear a raincoat. The weather is getting worse.

You should stay at home when it is raining.– You should stay at home when it rains.

It is believed that when using the construction, the speaker is hinting that something will harm the listener if he does not follow the recommendation. He will catch a cold, get some negative results or suffer in an accident. Should but has a more general meaning. With the help of this modal verb, a person simply shares his opinion on what should be done. But if the advice is not taken into account, nothing supernatural will happen.

Please note that there may be more complex versions of sentences with the construction would rather. The speaker does not always talk about his preferences, but sometimes he needs to say what he expects other people to do. In this case, after the construction and the person (the second part of the sentence) is used past simple(if the event concerns the present) or past perfect(if the event concerns the past).

Examples:

I’d rather she didn’t come.“I would prefer that she not come.”

I’d rather they had organized a party at home.- It would be better if they organized a party at home.

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You’d better prepare for the exam instead of watching TV. You would rather study for the exam instead of watching TV. Mike had better take an umbrella if he doesn’t want to get soaked. Mike should have taken an umbrella if he didn't want to get wet. You’d better not ride a motorcycle without a helmet. You better not ride a motorcycle without a helmet. He'd better not tell her what really happened. He shouldn't tell her what really happened.

2. Had better is used to express recommendation or advice. In this sense, this expression is similar to the modal verb should. However, the meaning of had better is stronger and more specific than should, so often advice with had better sounds urgently like a warning to avoid possible troubles.

You'd better watch your language. You should watch your speech. He'd better not travel alone. It's better for him not to travel alone. They'd better pay their debts. They should pay their debts.

Would rather

Would you rather have tea or coffee? Would you prefer tea or coffee? I’d rather stay home and read a book. I would probably stay at home and read a book. We'd rather not go out this evening. We'd probably stay home tonight. Alice would rather not visit her mother-in-law. Alice would prefer not to visit her mother-in-law.

They’d rather drive than travel by train. They would rather travel by car than by train. I’d rather have gone shopping with you than with Mary. I'd rather go to the store with you than with Mary. We'd rather type than write a letter. I would rather type than write a letter by hand. I'd rather had bought a gold ring. I'd rather buy a gold ring.

There are many ways to talk about your preferences in English. Earlier we talked about the verb prefer, which is translated as “to prefer.” Today let's look at another, more colloquial construction - would rather.

So we use would rather, when we talk about our own preferences at this particular moment. However, unlike would prefer, where it was possible to talk about the fact that, for example, we would prefer tea now rather than coffee, would rather cannot be used with items. After s would rather you always need to put an action.

I would rather this cake.
(I would prefer this pie.)

I would rather eat this cake.
I'd rather eat this pie.

Let's look at two main types of structures with would rather.

1. We speak to ourselves using would rather

We can use would rather to tell you what we prefer ourselves.

A similar phrase would be constructed like this: I would rather + first form of the verb.

I would rather buy something expensive but reliable.

Compare two actions using would rather It's also possible. Here we need the word than("how").

I would rather buy something expensive but reliable, than something cheap and bad quality.
I would rather buy something expensive but reliable than something cheap and of poor quality.

Would rather can also be shortened to "d rather:

I"d rather buy something expensive but reliable.
I would prefer to buy something expensive but reliable.

Finally, what about negatives? How can we say that we would prefer NOT to do something now?

The construction with negation is built like this: I would rather + not + first form of the verb.

I"d rather not talk about this right now.
I would prefer Not talk about it now.

2. We talk about someone else using would rather

Would rather allows us to communicate not only what we would prefer to do ourselves, but also about our wishes regarding the actions of other people! That is, with its help we can say something like: “I would prefer that you leave.” I prefer “I”, but “you” are leaving :).

Such a hidden request is constructed as follows:

Would rather + someone else + past tense verb.

Phrases with this verb are constructed like this: be (in the required form) + supposed + to + action.

I would rather you left now, sorry.
I'd rather you leave now, sorry.

I"d rather you called me later, please.
I would prefer you to call me later please.

With be would rather also possible:

I"d rather you were at home on time.
I'd rather you were home on time.

We'd rather he was more polite.
We would have preferred him to be more polite.

To say negation in such a construction, we do this:

I would rather + who + didn't + first form of the verb.

I"d rather he didn't speak so loudly.
I'd rather he Not talked so loudly.

We'd rather she didn't go out with that Tom guy.
We'd rather she Not I was dating this guy named Tom.

Or, if there was a be in the second part:

I would rather + who + wasn't + first form of the verb.

I"d rather we were at the theater now, not in this night club.
I'd rather we were in the theater now than in a nightclub.

3. Question with would rather

It remains to figure out how to ask the question about preferences. This is done as follows:

Would you rather ____?

Would you rather go to the cinema or watch the movie online?
Would you rather go to the cinema or watch a movie on the Internet?

4. Short refusal

Finally, would rather can be used for a short and polite refusal in response to someone's offer: I"d rather not (“It’s better not”, “I wouldn’t do this”, “I would prefer not to do this.”

Would you like to go with us to the concert?
Would you like to go to a concert with us?

I'd rather not, sorry. I have an exam tomorrow.
I'd rather not walk, sorry. I have an exam tomorrow.

Do you want a cup of coffee?
Would you like a cup of coffee?

Thanks, but I"d rather not.
Thanks, but I would not wanted.

This is how we met I would rather and looked at how they are used in different designs. Good luck and don't forget to apply what you learn!

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

1. I would prefer if they brought breakfast to my room.
2. I would prefer to go by taxi rather than by bus.
3. I would prefer not to go to the gym today. I'm too tired.
4. I would prefer that he not play the piano at night.
5. Would you rather order soup or salad?
6. I would prefer not to leave my car here.
7. He would prefer that we not bother him.
8. She would prefer that we call her later.

Modal construction had better expresses urgent advice or obligation to perform an action and is translated as " better», « better be», « costs" The design has only one shape had(past tense form of to have) for all persons, but it is used to denote the future and present tense.

Modal construction had better mainly used with the simple infinitive of semantic verbs (verbs in the first form) without a particle to.

Statement

Affirmative sentences with construction had better mean that from the speaker's point of view, some action must be performed in order to avoid undesirable consequences.

• I had better leave now so I won’t miss my bus.“I better get out now so I don’t miss my bus.”
• It might rain today. You had better take an umbrella.- It might rain today. You should take an umbrella.

• Had better = "d better (abbreviation)
• The train leaves in 15 minutes. She"d better hurry up.– The train leaves in 15 minutes. She better hurry up.

• I had better take a taxi. I don’t have enough time to go there by bus.– I should take a taxi. I don't have time to go there by bus. (no other choice but to take a taxi)
• I would rather take a taxi. It's convenient and I like it.- I'd rather take a taxi. It's convenient and I like it. (personal preferences of the speaker)

Had the best

Design had better in spoken English can be replaced by had best. Both constructions have the same meaning, but had best expresses more gentle and polite advice and obligation than had better.

• You had best stay at my house. It's raining pretty hard outside.- You would be better off staying at my house. There is heavy rain outside.
• I 'd best go to bed now. I'm tired.“I’d better go to bed now.” I'm tired.
• You" d best see your doctor. You look very pale.– You should see your doctor. You look very pale.