一、释义与用法

"Prefer sb. to do sth." 是一个英语动词短语，表示“更喜欢或倾向于某人去做某件事情”。这个表达强调的是在两个或多个可能的选择中，说话者对某个人执行特定行动的偏好。"Prefer" 意味着“更喜欢”，"sb." 是 "somebody" 的缩写，代表“某人”，而 "to do sth." 描述的是这个人的具体行为。整个短语在句子中通常作为谓语使用。

二、用法示例

1. 直接表达偏好的情况：

   - I prefer my brother to clean the house, as he's more meticulous than me. (我宁愿我弟弟打扫房子，因为他比我细心。)

   - The manager prefers Mary to handle the project because of her experience. (经理宁愿玛丽负责这个项目，因为她的经验丰富。)

2. 在比较结构中的用法：

   - I'd prefer you to study at home rather than going out tonight. (我宁愿你今晚在家学习而不是出去。)

   - She prefers Tom to play the guitar in the band rather than drums. (她宁愿汤姆在乐队里弹吉他而不是打鼓。)

3. 请求或建议的场景：

   - Could you prefer John to do the presentation tomorrow? He's better prepared. (你是否愿意让约翰明天做报告？他准备得更好。)

   - I would really prefer it if you took care of the paperwork. (我真希望你能处理这些文件。)

三、同义词辨析

1. "Would rather sb. do sth."

   这个短语与 "prefer sb. to do sth." 类似，也表示个人的倾向或选择。例如：

   - I would rather you came earlier for the meeting. (我宁愿你早点来开会。)

2. "Opt for sb. to do sth."

   这个短语表达的是在几种可能性中选择某人去做某事。例如：

   - They opted for Jane to lead the team due to her excellent leadership skills. (他们选择简来领导团队，因为她有出色的领导能力。)

3. "Favor sb. doing sth."

   "Favor" 作为动词时，可以表达支持或赞同某人做某事。例如：

   - The coach favors David playing in the center position. (教练倾向于大卫在中锋位置打球。)

4. "Would sooner sb. do sth."

   这个短语在口语中表达强烈的偏好，意为“宁愿……”。例如：

   - I'd sooner you didn't tell anyone about this yet. (我宁愿你现在还不告诉任何人这件事。)