Would Rather vs Would Prefer Exercises

Would rather and would prefer both express preferences, but they follow different grammar patterns. Would rather takes a base verb (no "to"): "I'd rather stay at home." Would prefer takes to + verb: "I'd prefer to stay at home." When comparing two options, the patterns also differ: "I'd rather walk than drive" vs "I'd prefer to walk rather than drive" or "I'd prefer walking to driving."

The negative forms follow the same logic: "I'd rather not go out" (rather + not + base verb) vs "I'd prefer not to go out" (prefer + not to + verb). Both sentences mean the same thing, but would rather is more common in everyday spoken English, while would prefer sounds slightly more formal and polite. In Cambridge B1 and B2 examinations, you may need to transform one structure into the other, so practise switching between them. The contracted form I'd works for both: "I'd rather" and "I'd prefer."