I prefer tea coffee

Question

I prefer tea coffee

1. A. to (Correct answer)
2. B. on
3. C. than
4. D. over

Correct Answer

Option A — to

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is to.

Key Points

• Prefer takes the preposition to, not *than*: *I prefer tea to coffee*.
• *Than* is used with comparatives (*better than*), which is why prefer... than is such a common error.
• With verbs the construction changes to prefer + -ing + to + -ing, as in *I prefer walking to driving*.

Additional Information

• Would rather takes *than*, not *to*: *I would rather drink tea than coffee* — the two structures are frequently mixed up.
• Other verbs with fixed prepositions worth memorising: superior to, inferior to, senior to, junior to, married to, compared with/to.
• Prepositions after verbs and adjectives are rarely deducible by logic and must be learned as whole phrases.