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Syarief
What is the difference "Prefer V1+ing" and "Prefer to V1"
I prefer watching movies.
I prefer to watch movies.
What is the difference between these sentences.
Can we say the first one is for specific situations, and the second one is general?
Aug 11, 2015 2:11 PM
Answers · 6
2
Good questions!
These are called Infinitives and Gerunds.
Infinitives are things like:
To watch
To see
To swim
Gerunds:
watching
seeing
swimming
Basically Gerunds act as a noun ending in the form of -ing:
Stop swimming.
Infinitives:
Stop to swim.
This link is a little bit more in-depth. it also has a quiz for you to take that will help you with the Gerunds and Infinitives.
Link: http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/gerunds-vs-infinitives
August 11, 2015
1
I do not think there is much difference between the two forms, and you could used either form correctly.
If you say "I prefer watching movies" you are emphasizing that you enjoy watching movies.
When you say "I prefer to watch movies" you are emphasizing your preference. For example, I would say: "I prefer to watch movies instead of documentaries."
Or:
"During my free time, I do not like to do house chores. I prefer to watch movies"
But like I said earlier, I think you could use either form and still be correct.
August 11, 2015
Hi Ruthi, Thanks a lot, your explanation is really useful and understandable :)
August 11, 2015
Hey Syrarief I think there is no difference. There are some verbs in English that take ONLY infinitive, and some that take Gerund, and there are some that take either infinitive or gerund, and the meaning is the same-
I love dancing/ I love to dance
I prefer dancing/I prefer to dance
Both versions are fine.
August 11, 2015
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Syarief
Language Skills
Arabic, English, Indonesian
Learning Language
Arabic, English
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