Had Better vs. Would Rather
'Would better' and 'would rather' are very different but they are confused by many learners. In this lesson, we will find out why.
What Is Their Main Difference?
The main difference between 'had better' and 'would rather' is in the message they convey. 'Had better' expresses advice while 'would rather' expresses preference.
Had better
'Had better' is a phrase counted as a 'semi-modal verb.'
'Had better' is used to give advice. It is mainly used in its contracted form and to give warnings. Have a look:
She
They
Would rather
'Would rather' is used to express what we prefer to do over another thing. For example:
I
He
Why Are They Confused?
'Had better' and 'would rather' are confused due to their similarity in their contracted form. Watch:
I
I
As you can see in the examples above, they cannot be used interchangeably, and their only similarity is in their contracted form.
Meanings
Had better
We use 'had better' to express advice (in other words, give advice) or give warnings towards a specific event or action. Have a look:
They
She
Would rather
We use 'would rather' to express what we prefer over another thing or express our choice between a couple of options. Have a look:
I
They
Structure
Affirmative Form
We follow the patterns illustrated below to create an affirmative form with 'had better' and 'would rather' respectively:
- Subject + 'd better + base verb + ….
- Subject + 'd rather + base verb + ….
Here are some examples:
I
He
Negative Form
We follow the patterns illustrated below to create a negative form with 'had better' and 'would rather' respectively:
- Subject + 'd better + not + base verb + ….
- Subject + 'd rather + not + base verb + ….
For instance:
He
She
Interrogative Form
We follow the patterns illustrated below to create questions with 'had better' and 'would rather' respectively:
- Would + subject + rather + base verb + …?
- Had + subject + better + base verb + …?
Have a look: