Q&A - P4 English

[S6169]

starlight1968sg:

Mum1113:

Hi


Think such question is common, apologies if this has been asked before and yet, I'm asking it here again.

Qn : Mary does not like to eat candies. She likes chocolates better.
Ans : _____________ prefers ______________ .

Is this answer acceptable : Mary prefers to eat chocolates to candies.

MTIA

Mary prefers chocolates to candies.
:?

Is this acceptable: Mary prefers eating chocolates to candies.

[ridcully]

S6169:

Is this acceptable: Mary prefers eating chocolates to candies.

Already answered in my earlier posting. Here you are mixing up types A and B.


Preference in doing something means comparing two different activities.

You need to identify doing something else. For example:

Mary prefers eating chocolates to dieting.
Mary prefers eating chocolates to wrapping candies.
Mary prefers eating chocolates to answering grammar questions on kiasuparents.com.
Mary prefers eating chocolates to taking English examinations.

Rgd
R

[ridcully]

BTW, since my posting yesterday about the verb ‘prefer’ several parents have privately emailed me with queries covering a range of topics. I welcome people’s enthusiasm and curiosity and I have answered them, but may I gently ask people to post publicly to this forum so that we can all share? After all, that’s the purpose of the forum.

[Mum1113]

ridcully:

Mary prefers eating chocolates to answering grammar questions on kiasuparents.com.Rgd

R

Hey ..are you implying Mary is \"bored\" by the mundane questions posted here already ??? :boogie: ....hahaha...joke joke lah....

[PiggyLalala]

ridcully:

Mum1113:

Hi


Is this answer acceptable : Mary prefers to eat chocolates to candies.

No. The structures after prefer are:

A. I prefer something to something else.

B. I prefer doing something to doing something else.

C. I prefer to do something rather than (do) something else.

Your sentence 'Mary prefers to eat chocolates to candies' shows a comparison of an infinitive (preferring to do something) with a noun (something else). This mixes up types A and C.

You can write:
Mary prefers chocolates to candies.

Mary prefers eating chocolates to making them.

Mary prefers to eat chocolates rather than to make them.

Rgds
R

Hi... can the answer be: Mary prefers eating chocolates to eating candies.
Have discussed your answer with my son. He thinks that ' eating' must be in the answer. He reasoned that if eating is omitted from the answer, then we are not sure of what Mary likes to do with the chocolate and candies. He further argued that if we have the following 2 questions:
Question 1: Mary does not like to eat candies. She likes chocolates better.
Question 2: Mary does not like to buy candies. She likes chocolates better.

Does it mean the answers to Question 1 and 2 are the same:
Mary prefers chocolates to candies.

Thanks...

[ridcully]

PiggyLalala:

Hi... can the answer be: Mary prefers eating chocolates to eating candies.

I have already answered this question in the earlier posting.
[quote]Have discussed your answer with my son. He thinks that ' eating' must be in the answer. He reasoned that if eating is omitted from the answer, then we are not sure of what Mary likes to do with the chocolate and candies. [/quote]In English, we often omit the obvious - a case of seeing the wood for the trees. It is reasonably understood that we eat chocolates and candies.

If we wish to do something else with them, then we would explicitly state so, which I believe is covered in my previous answers about making them.
[quote]He further argued that if we have the following 2 questions:
Question 1: Mary does not like to eat candies. She likes chocolates better.

Question 2: Mary does not like to buy candies. She likes chocolates better.

Does it mean the answers to Question 1 and 2 are the same:
Mary prefers chocolates to candies.[/quote]For question 1, could your son elaborate why he wishes to use 'prefer' to compare a negative with an affirmative. How can one prefer to eat chocolates when one does not eat candies? Wouldn't it be preferable to use a contrasting conjunction instead?

For question 2, could your son clarify what he is referring to: Are we comparing what Mary likes to buy (for example, to offer as gifts to friends); Are we comparing what Mary likes to buy with what she likes to eat; Are we comparing what Mary likes to eat? Given the ambiguity, I do not wish to offer an answer.

Rgds
R

[PiggyLalala]

[/quote]


No. The structures after prefer are:

A. I prefer something to something else.

B. I prefer doing something to doing something else.

C. I prefer to do something rather than (do) something else.

Your sentence 'Mary prefers to eat chocolates to candies' shows a comparison of an infinitive (preferring to do something) with a noun (something else). This mixes up types A and C.

You can write:
Mary prefers chocolates to candies.

Mary prefers eating chocolates to making them.

Mary prefers to eat chocolates rather than to make them.

Rgds
R[/quote]

Hi ridcully,
Thank you very much for your help. But I am really lousy with Synthesis. Despite you have given the structure for 'prefer', I am still not very clear. Can you help me with this question?
Jack loves playing basketball. He enjoys playing soccer even more.
Jack prefers ______________________________________

Which of the following is the correct answer?
(a) Jack prefers playing soccer to basketball.
(b) Jack prefers playing soccer to playing basketball.
(c) Jack prefers soccer to basketball.

Thank you very much.

[ridcully]

Go for:


(c) Jack prefers soccer to basketball.

Rgds
R

[PiggyLalala]

Thank you once again. Appreciate your help

[TENNISMOM]

I find all (a), (b) and all acceptable. Thought (a) and are preferred.