Prefer past tense

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Meaning of prefer

to choose or favor someone or something over others; to give priority or precedence to.

Infinitive

Word: prefer /prɪˈfɜːr/
Examples:
  • 1. I prefer coffee to tea in the mornings.
  • 2. She prefers reading books over watching television.
  • 3. They prefer to walk rather than drive to the park.

Past Simple

Word: preferred /prɪˈfɜːrd/
Examples:
  • 1. They preferred to stay at home rather than going out that cold evening.
  • 2. For dessert, she preferred chocolate cake over fruit salad.
  • 3. When it came to movies, he always preferred comedies to horrors.

Past Participle

Word: preferred /prɪˈfɜrd/
Examples:
  • 1. She had always preferred coffee over tea.
  • 2. They have preferred to stay at home during the weekends.
  • 3. We had preferred going by train, considering the scenic route.

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Bare infinitive

  1. General facts or truths
    Example. I prefer tea over coffee in the mornings.
    Example. She prefers to walk to work instead of taking the bus.
    Example. He prefers quiet places for reading.
    Example. The meeting prefers to start at 10 a.m. tomorrow. (less common, usually expressed differently, but possible in structured or formalized contexts)
    Example. If you prefer to stay home, that’s fine with me.
  2. Habits or routines
    Example. I prefer tea over coffee in the mornings.
    Example. She prefers to walk to work instead of taking the bus.
    Example. He prefers quiet places for reading.
    Example. The meeting prefers to start at 10 a.m. tomorrow. (less common, usually expressed differently, but possible in structured or formalized contexts)
    Example. If you prefer to stay home, that’s fine with me.
  3. States
    Example. I prefer tea over coffee in the mornings.
    Example. She prefers to walk to work instead of taking the bus.
    Example. He prefers quiet places for reading.
    Example. The meeting prefers to start at 10 a.m. tomorrow. (less common, usually expressed differently, but possible in structured or formalized contexts)
    Example. If you prefer to stay home, that’s fine with me.
  4. Scheduled events in the near future (typically for timetable events)
    Example. I prefer tea over coffee in the mornings.
    Example. She prefers to walk to work instead of taking the bus.
    Example. He prefers quiet places for reading.
    Example. The meeting prefers to start at 10 a.m. tomorrow. (less common, usually expressed differently, but possible in structured or formalized contexts)
    Example. If you prefer to stay home, that’s fine with me.
  5. Conditional sentences
    Example. I prefer tea over coffee in the mornings.
    Example. She prefers to walk to work instead of taking the bus.
    Example. He prefers quiet places for reading.
    Example. The meeting prefers to start at 10 a.m. tomorrow. (less common, usually expressed differently, but possible in structured or formalized contexts)
    Example. If you prefer to stay home, that’s fine with me.

Past Simple

  1. Actions or situations that were completed in the past
    Example. Last year, I preferred jogging to swimming for exercise.
    Example. First, I preferred to try the vanilla ice cream, then I tasted the chocolate.
    Example. When I lived in Spain, I preferred to eat dinner late.
    Example. She preferred her previous job over the new one.
  2. Sequential past actions
    Example. Last year, I preferred jogging to swimming for exercise.
    Example. First, I preferred to try the vanilla ice cream, then I tasted the chocolate.
    Example. When I lived in Spain, I preferred to eat dinner late.
    Example. She preferred her previous job over the new one.
  3. Past habits
    Example. Last year, I preferred jogging to swimming for exercise.
    Example. First, I preferred to try the vanilla ice cream, then I tasted the chocolate.
    Example. When I lived in Spain, I preferred to eat dinner late.
    Example. She preferred her previous job over the new one.
  4. Past states
    Example. Last year, I preferred jogging to swimming for exercise.
    Example. First, I preferred to try the vanilla ice cream, then I tasted the chocolate.
    Example. When I lived in Spain, I preferred to eat dinner late.
    Example. She preferred her previous job over the new one.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.
  2. Present Perfect
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.
  3. For actions or situations that have a connection to the present or occurred at an unspecified time before now.
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.
  4. Past Perfect
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.
  5. For actions or situations that were completed before another past action or time.
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.
  6. Future Perfect
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.
  7. For actions that will be completed before a specified time in the future.
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.
  8. Passive voice
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.
  9. When the focus is on the action rather than who or what is performing the action.
    Example. I have always preferred classical music.
    Example. Before I tried Italian food, I had preferred Mexican cuisine.
    Example. By the end of the year, I will have preferred to read at least twenty books.
    Example. This type of coffee is preferred by many over tea.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Irregular Verbs

A common mistake is Confusing Forms of irregular verbs. For example, the verb 'prefer' is a regular verb, so its past simple and past participle forms are both 'preferred.' However, learners often mix up verbs like 'write,' which has the past simple form 'wrote' and the past participle form 'written.' They might incorrectly use 'writed' as the past form due to overgeneralizing the rule of adding '-ed' for past forms, which applies to regular verbs like 'prefer' but not to irregular verbs.

— 02

Incorrect Past Participle

Another mistake involves using the past simple form instead of the past participle in perfect tenses. With the verb 'prefer,' it’s straightforward. 'I have preferred' is correct for the present perfect tense. However, for irregular verbs, learners might say 'I have went' instead of the correct 'I have gone' for the verb 'go.' This mistake arises from not distinguishing between the need for a past participle in perfect constructions and the use of the past simple for simple past events.

— 03

Misapplication in Passive Voice

The past participle is also essential in forming the passive voice, but learners frequently use the past simple instead. For 'prefer,' this error is less common since its forms are the same, but with verbs like 'take' (taken), the mistake is more evident. For instance, saying 'The book was took by him' instead of the correct 'The book was taken by him.' This reflects a misunderstanding of the grammatical structure required for passive sentences, where the past participle, not the past simple, is necessary.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'prefer'?

The past simple form of 'prefer' is 'preferred'. It is used to describe an action or preference that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Last year, I preferred to travel by train.'

How is the past participle form of 'prefer' used?

The past participle form of 'prefer' is also 'preferred'. It is used in perfect tenses to describe actions or preferences that have an impact on the present or that were completed at an unspecified time in the past. For example, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'I have always preferred chocolate over vanilla.'

Can you give an example of 'preferred' used in a sentence in the past perfect tense?

Yes, in the past perfect tense, 'preferred' can be used to talk about preferences that existed before another action in the past. For example, 'By the time she arrived at the party, I had already preferred to leave early.' This sentence indicates that the preference to leave early existed before the action of her arriving. Is there a difference in the usage of 'preferred' in American and British English