word choice - Which is correct: "prefer X to Y" or "prefer X over Y"?


Many say that "prefer X to Y" has a more formal ring to it than "prefer X over Y". Are there any dialects where you wouldn't use "prefer X to Y" in colloquial speech at all? Conversely, are there any manuals of style that discourage using "prefer X over Y" in formal writing?



Answer



The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage (MDEU) suggests that to is the ordinary word used to construct comparisons using prefer: “when it is used to compare two things in the same sentence, the second […] is usually introduced by to.” They note that over (“Nine out of ten dentists prefer Crest over the competitors”), and rather than (“He prefers to stand rather than to sit”) are also used. Rather than is especially helpful when the compared items are infinitive clauses beginning with to, therefore avoiding the problem of too many tos ( * “He prefers to stand to to sit”). Above can also be used (“Prefers this brand above all others”), although they note that above, along with before, were noted by the OED as being used formerly.


MDEU notes that some commenters have criticized constructions with than and rather than, and suggests ultimately that plain than (“He would have preferred to fast than carry it”) is awkward because it is unfamiliar.


With respect to colloquial speech, I think that in some informal registers you wouldn’t use the verb prefer at all (which is a formal word), and would use like and a compatible syntactic comparative construction: “I like sleeping more than working”


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