prefer 用法, 詳解和例句

prefer 用法1(prefer for sb.to do)

問：Jack prefers for his wife to drive the truck.
我查英漢詞典只查到prefer sb. to do sth. 的用法, 而沒有查到prefer for sb. to do sth. 的用法。上面的句子是否有誤?

答：prefer for sb. to do sth. 的用法僅僅限於美國, 一般英語詞典都未收入。參見 mean1 。

prefer 用法2 (prefer that)

問：In the past men generally preferred that their wives __________ in the home.
A. worked
B. would work
C. work
D. were working
(研究所考試英語試題, 92)
我不知道如何做上面的題, 請分析。

答：見demand that。

prefer 用法 3 (prefer to do/ prefer doing 1)

問：用動詞不定詞作prefer 的受詞和用動名詞作prefer 的受詞在意義上有無區別?

答：可以看作沒有什麼區別。請看下面的實例:

1. Do you prefer (to cook / cooking) for yourself, or (to eat / eating) in a restaurant?
   你喜歡自己做飯吃, 還是到飯店裡吃?
2. She prefers to live among the working people.
   她喜歡生活在勞動人民中間。
3. So you prefer living abroad?
   那麼你是喜歡在國外生活了?

prefer 用法 4 （prefer to do/ prefer doing 2）

問：“What kind of pen do you want to have?”
“I prefer ______ to that blue one.”
A. having this red pen
B. to have this red pen
C. had this red pen
D. this red pen having (TOEFL)
您在prefer to do/ prefer doing 1 條中指出它們兩者之間並沒有什麼可覺察到的區別, 但是上面的試題為什麼只能選A, 而不能選B 呢? 這與您所說的似乎有矛盾。

答：上面的試題與prefer to do/ prefer doing 1 條中所談的句型有所不同。這裡所涉及的句型是prefer A to B。在這種句型中, 如果A 是動詞, 則大都採用-ing 形式, 而在prefer A rather than B 句型中, 如果A 是動詞, 則大都採用to- v 形式, 請比較下面有關prefer 用法的例句:

1. I prefer to walk there rather than go by bus.
   我寧願步行去那裡, 而不願意乘公共汽車去。
2. While he was in the office he preferred doing something to do nothing.
   當他在辦公室時, 他寧願做點什麼事, 而不願意無所事事。

(參見rather than to do)

prefer 用法 5 (would prefer)

問：Would you prefer going to the bookshop now or later? (薄冰等編《英語文法手冊》(修訂版, p.214)
would prefer 可以接動名詞嗎?

答：動詞prefer 用法本身既可接動詞不定詞, 也可接動名詞, 例句見prefer to do/ doing。但是, would (should) prefer 一般只接名詞、動詞不定詞或that 子句。would (should) prefer 接動名詞的情形是非常罕見的。

1. Would you prefer a cocktail? 你要一杯雞尾酒嗎?
2. Would you prefer to dance? 你願意跳舞嗎?
3. Would you prefer that I come on Monday instead of on Tuesday? 你想讓我星期一來, 而不是星期二來嗎?
4. I’d prefer that he remain forgotten. 我希望他仍然被遺忘。

prefer 用法 6 – preferable (It is preferable that he be)

見essential