LIKE, DISLIKE, and PREFERENCE

if you love something

"I love eating ice-cream."
"I adore sun-bathing."

If you like something a lot

"She's fond of chocolate."
"I like swimming very much."

If you like something

"He quite likes going to the cinema."
"I like cooking."

If you neither like nor dislike something

"I don't mind doing the housework."

If you don't like something

"She doesn't like cooking very much."
"He's not very fond of doing the gardening."
"I dislike wasting time."

If you really dislike something

"I don't like sport at all."
"He can't stand his boss."
"She can't bear cooking in a dirty kitchen."
"I hate crowded supermarkets."
"He detests being late."
"She loathes celery."

Things to remember…

Dislike is quite formal.
Fond of is normally used to talk about food or people.
The 'oa' in loathe rhymes with the 'oa' in boat.

Grammar Note

To talk about your general likes or dislikes, follow this pattern:

like something or like doing something.

When speaking generally, it's easiest to use plurals with count nouns, for examples:
I like apples. (count - plural)
I don't like radishes. (count -plural)
I don't like soda pop. (non-count)

Common mistake

Be careful where you put very much or a lot. These words should go after the thing that you like. For example, "I like reading very much." NOT "I like very much reading."

Expressing Preferences

Sometimes you need to state a preference when someone makes a suggestion, offers something or asks your opinion about what to do. Often people are asking for your opinion and you can state your preference freely, other times, people have made an offer and you need to state a preference politely if you do not want to do what has been suggested, or would rather do something else.

You can use "prefer to (do)" or "prefer -ing" to say what you prefer in general:

• I don't like cities. I prefer to live in the country OR I prefer livingin the country.

Study the differences in structure after prefer. We say:

• I prefer something to something else.
• I prefer to do something rather than (do) something else.
• I prefer doing something to doing something else.

•  I prefer this coat to the coat you were wearing yesterday.
•  I prefer driving to traveling by train.
but • I prefer to drive rather than travel by train.
•  Ann prefers to live in the country rather than (live) in a city.

Would prefer (I'd prefer...)

We use "would prefer" to say what somebody wants in a particular situation (not in general):

•  "Would you prefer tea or coffee" "Coffee, please."

We say "would prefer to do" (not "doing"):

•  "Shall we go by train?" "Well, I'd prefer to go by car. (not "I'd prefer going")
•  I'd prefer to stay at home tonight rather than go to the cinema.

Would rather (I'd rather...)

Would rather (do) = would prefer (to do). After would rather we use the infinitive without to.

Compare:

•   "Shall we go by train?"	"I'd prefer to go by car."
	"I'd rather go by car. (not to go)

•  "Would you rather have tea or coffee" "Coffee, please."

The negative is "I'd rather not (do something)":
•  I'm tired. I'd rather not go out this evening, if you don't mind.
•  "Do you want to go out this evening" "I'd rather not."

Study the structure after would rather:

I'd rather

do something

than (do)

something else.

•  I'd rather stay at home tonight than go to the cinema.

I'd rather you did something

When you want somebody to do something, you can say "I'd rather you did something":

•  "Shall I stay here?" "I'd rather you came with us."
•  "Shall I tell them the news?" "No. I'd rather they didn't know."
•  "Shall I tell them or would you rather they didn't know?"

In this structure we use the past (came, did etc.), but the meaning is present or future, not past.

Compare:

•  I'd rather cook the dinner now.

but • I'd rather you cooked the dinner now. (not "I'd rather you cook")

The negative is "I'd rather you didn't...":
•  I'd rather you didn't tell anyone what I said.
• "Do you mind if I smoke?" "I'd rather you didn't."