A little boy would rather ______.a.playing than studyingb.to play than studyingc.plays than studiesd.play than studye.to play than to study

To determine the correct answer for the sentence "A little boy would rather ______," we need to analyze the options provided:

1. Understanding the Construction: The phrase "would rather" is typically followed by the base form of a verb. This means we are looking for an infinitive or a gerund in its simplest form depending on the context.

2. Evaluating Each Option:

   • a. playing than studying: This option uses the gerund "playing" but doesn’t align correctly with the comparative structure "would rather."
   • b. to play than studying: Here, "to play" is an infinitive, but it is incorrectly paired with the gerund "studying."
   • c. plays than studies: This option uses the verb forms incorrectly. It should not use "s" for such constructions.
   • d. play than study: Both "play" and "study" are in their base forms. This is closer to the correct structure.
   • e. to play than to study: This option uses the infinitive forms correctly.

3. Identifying the Best Option: The options "d" and "e" are correctly formed. However, "e. to play than to study" is the most formally correct choice because it maintains the parallel structure of infinitives.

Final Answer

The correct completion is: e. to play than to study.