Formula 1: Do you prefer X to Y ?

AIMS 学习目标

In this lesson you'll master the Formula for

"Do you prefer X to Y ?" type questions.

本课的高分公式将教会你如何回答下列同类型的问题，比如：

•　Do you prefer writing letters or sending emails?

•　Do you prefer talking on the phone or chatting online?

•　Do you prefer to travel by bike or on foot?

THE FORMULA 高分公式

When the examiner asks you "Do you prefer X to Y ?" type questions, you must:

THE FORMULA 高分公式

When the examiner asks you "Do you prefer X to Y ?" type questions, you must:

Answer Order

•　State which one you prefer.

•　Compare the two things the examiner mentions.

•　Give reasons and examples to explain why.

Language Steps

1．Master prefer＋verb-ing ("I prefer walking .") and prefer＋to verb ("I prefer to walk .").

2．Use comparatives of convenience or greater benefit like a native speaker. ("Travelling by bus is faster than going by car.")

Answer Order

•　State which one you prefer.

•　Compare the two things the examiner mentions.

•　Give reasons and examples to explain why.

Language Steps

1．Master prefer＋verb-ing ("I prefer walking .") and prefer＋to verb ("I prefer to walk .").

2．Use comparatives of convenience or greater benefit like a native speaker. ("Travelling by bus is faster than going by car.")

NATIVE SPEAKER WORDS 英语母语词汇

让我们来学习一些英语母语词汇，这些词汇对于回答该类型的问题非常有用，并且能够帮助你理解下面的答案范例。

MODEL ANSWERS 答案范例

阅读雅思考生Alice和David的参考答案。

Interviewer Do you prefer to travel by bike or by bus?

Alice I prefer cycling to travelling by bus. Cycling is so much more convenient than taking the bus if you're not travelling too far. Actually, it's often faster to go by bike because you don't get stuck in traffic jams! Cycling is also better for my health than all other means of transport, including buses.

Interviewer Do you prefer chatting online or talking on the phone?

David Generally I prefer chatting online. I nearly always find that chatting online can be more sociable as you can speak to more than one person at the same time. Also, chatting online is often much more fun because you can send smileys, photos and even videos!

LANGUAGE STEP 1 Prefer 高分语言点1 Prefer的用法

我们来看一下雅思考生Alice和David是如何使用prefer的。

Alice I prefer cycling to travelling by bus…

David Generally I prefer chatting online …

Obviously, the first thing you need to tell the examiner for this type of question is whether you prefer X or Y . "Prefer" can be followed by either verb-ing or to verb .

Notice in the examples below that prefer＋verb-ing can be followed by either "to" or "rather than", but prefer＋to verb can only be followed by "rather than".

•　prefer＋verb-ing＋to / rather than＋verb-ing

"I prefer cycling to taking the bus."

"I prefer eating to cooking ."

"I prefer baking cakes at home rather than buying them in shops."

"I prefer reading a newspaper rather than watching TV."

•　prefer＋to verb＋rather than＋verb

"I prefer to cycle rather than take the bus."

"I prefer to eat rather than cook ."

"I prefer to bake cakes at home rather than buy them in shops."

"I prefer to read a newspaper rather than watch TV."

Both these forms are correct, and mean exactly the same.

Exercise 1.1: Error Correction

Some of the sentences below are incorrect, some are correct. Identify the incorrect sentences and write the correct sentences in the spaces provided.

1．I prefer to go to the cinema to watch DVDs at home.

____________________

2．My sister prefers writing letters to write emails.

____________________

3．I prefer to talk with friends on the phone rather than using QQ.

____________________

4．I much prefer to live in a town rather than a big city.

___________________

5．My mother prefers shopping at the market more than in supermarkets.

____________________

6．My friends generally prefer to send text messages to talking on the phone.

____________________

LANGUAGE STEP 2 Comparatives 高分语言点2 比较级

让我们再回顾一下雅思考生Alice和David是如何使用比较级的。

Alice …Cycling is so much more convenient than taking the bus if you're not travelling too far. Actually, it's often faster to go by bike because you don't get stuck in traffic jams! Cycling is also better for my health than all other means of transport, including buses.

David …I nearly always find that chatting online can be more sociable as you can speak to more than one person at the same time. Also, chatting online is often much more fun because you can send smileys, photos and even videos!

After you have told the examiner whether you prefer X or Y , you should compare them, so it's very important to use comparatives correctly.

To form the comparative of an adjective you should:

•　add "-er " if the adjective is one syllable long

•　add "-ier " if the adjective is more than one syllable and ends in -y

•　add "more " before the adjective if it is two or more syllables long

Look at the table below to see how these rules work.

小贴士

以下几个形容词的比较级形式是不规则的。

形容词原级—比较级

good ― better bad ― worse fun ― more fun

如果要强调比较级，只需要在比较级前加much,比如：… much prettier, … much more convenient。

When you compare X and Y , you should use one of the following comparative structures:

•　X ＋to be＋comparative＋than＋Y

" Watching TV is more interesting than listening to the radio ."

" Cars are prettier than buses. "

•　X ＋to be＋not as＋adjective＋as＋Y

" Listening to the radio is not as interesting as watching TV. "

" Buses are not as pretty as cars. "

Exercise 1.2: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answers to complete the sentences below.

1．My mother prefers to eat at home than in restaurants because she says it's_____for one's health.

A．more better

B．best

C．better

2．I think that I prefer student life to working life because we are allowed to be_____in our attitude and express ourselves more.

A．more creativity

B．more creative

C．creativer

3．Most people prefer taking the airport express light railway to taking a taxi to the airport because it is_____.

A．much quicker

B．more quick

C．more quicker

4．I prefer to go to parties with friends rather than with family - partying with friends is so much_____because I can drink wine and let my hair down!

A．exciting

B．excitinger

C．more exciting

5．To be honest, I prefer travelling to work by bus rather than by foot because it's_____.

A．easier

B．more easy

C．more easier

6．I don't like taking the subway - it's definitely_____as the bus.

A．more comfortable than

B．less comfortable

C．not as comfortable

7．For me, sending text messages is_____sending emails.

A．funner than

B．more fun than

C．not as fun

8．I prefer studying than working because I feel_____and_____when I study.

A．freer, more independent

B．more free, more independent

C．freer, independent

EXTRA LANGUAGE POINT Discourse Markers 补充语言点语篇标记词

让我们来看看雅思考生Alice和David的回答中使用了哪些语篇标记词。

Alice …Cycling is so much more convenient than taking the bus if you're not travelling too far. Actually , it's often faster to go by bike because…

David …I nearly always find that chatting online can be more sociable as you can speak to more than one person at the same time. Also , chatting online is often much more fun because…

One reason why Alice's and David's answers are so good is that both candidates put extra little words (called discourse markers ) into their answers in a very native way.

Try to use the following words more often when you speak English, as they will help make you sound more like a native speaker:

•　actually / in fact

"Actually" and "in fact" are very often used by native speakers to introduce something that may be surprising or that slightly changes what was being said before.

"It is actually a lot cheaper to go to that supermarket."

" In fact public buses are a lot more environmentally friendly than many people think."

•　needless to say

"Needless to say" is another way of saying "obviously" or "everybody knows that…" without sounding rude or arrogant.

I like eating lots of cakes, but needless to say , that will make me fat."

"He's done very badly in his exams, so needless to say he won't get into university this year."

•　also / in addition

"Also" and "in addition" are used to add extra or further information.

"I'm a very sociable person. I prefer team sports such as basketball and football and in addition I like going to KTV with my friends."

"I prefer cycling rather than driving a car because it helps me keep fit; in addition it's better for the environment and it's also cheaper!"

•　besides

"Besides" at the beginning of a sentence means "as well as", whereas in the middle of a sentence it means "anyway".

" Besides watching the TV and talking to my friends, I can relax while travelling on the subway."

"I like riding a bike as it's a very convenient way to travel. Besides , it's cheap and I can't afford a car."

Exercise 1.3: Gap Fill

Write the words below in the correct spaces.

in fact　also　needless to say　besides　actually　in addition to

1．_____, writing emails is a lot cheaper than mailing letters.

2．I_____prefer to eat at home than eat in restaurants.

3．Writing letters is a more personal way to communicate._____, I like writing by hand.

4．I prefer watching TV to going to the cinema because_____being cheaper it's_____more comfortable.

5．Many people think it's dangerous to travel by aeroplane but_____it's probably the safest means of transport available.