Had better and would rather exercises

Quick answer. Use had better + base verb for strong advice about a specific situation, usually because a bad result may follow. Use would rather + base verb for your own preference. For another person’s action, use would rather + subject + Past Simple: I’d rather you came earlier.

Had better and would rather: form and meaning

Had in had better does not make the sentence Past Perfect, and better is not a comparison here. The expression is fixed. Similarly, would rather is followed by a bare infinitive when the subject stays the same.

Exercise 1: advice or preference?

1. The last bus leaves in five minutes. We ___ hurry.
2. I ___ read the article than watch the video.
3. You ___ not touch that wire.
4. It’s cold outside. She ___ take a coat.
5. Would you ___ sit by the window?
6. The deadline is today; they ___ send the form now.

Exercise 2: use the correct verb form

1. You had better ___ the document again. (check)
2. I’d rather ___ tomorrow morning. (leave)
3. We had better not ___ late. (be)
4. She would rather ___ at home tonight. (eat)
5. Hadn’t you better ___ him the truth? (tell)
6. Would they rather ___ by train? (travel)

When the preferred subject changes

Compare I’d rather leave now with I’d rather you left now. In the first sentence, I will leave, so we use the base verb. In the second, the preferred action belongs to you, so English uses a Past Simple form to make the preference more remote and polite. The meaning is present or future, not past.

Exercise 3: same subject or different subject?

1. I would rather ___ at home. (I / stay)
2. I would rather ___ at home. (you / stay)
3. She’d rather ___ the question later. (she / discuss)
4. She’d rather ___ the question later. (we / discuss)
5. They would rather ___ them first. (they / ask)
6. They would rather ___ them first. (he / ask)

Exercise 4: correct the Russian-speaker mistake

1. You had better to book a table.
2. I’d rather to walk.
3. She’d better doesn’t wait.
4. I would rather you come tomorrow.
5. He had better stayed at home.
6. Would you rather tea or coffee?

Past preference: would rather have done

Use would rather have + past participle when the preferred past action did not happen or when you compare it with what happened: I would rather have stayed home. Do not use this form for a current choice. For broader past-time revision, continue with Past Perfect exercises and mixed tenses.

Exercise 5: translate into English

1. Тебе лучше уйти сейчас.
2. Я бы предпочёл остаться дома.
3. Я бы предпочёл, чтобы ты остался дома.
4. Нам лучше не опаздывать.
5. Она предпочла бы не говорить этого вчера.

Typical mistakes

• Adding to after either expression.
• Using don’t instead of had better not.
• Reading ‘d without context: it can mean had or would.
• Using a base verb when the preferred action has a different subject.
• Using would rather have + V3 for a present choice.

Self-check

Related practice

Continue with modal verbs exercises, conditionals, too and enough, subject and object questions, unless, causative have and the tenses test.