I'm trying to gauge what people think is the best way to complete sentences beginning with "I would prefer" when the preference is about someone else's actions. There seems to be a few options, the meanings of which are more or less the same.
"I would prefer him to come later."
"I would prefer that he come/came later."
"I would prefer it if he came later."
Which do you think is best and are there any reasons why you would use one over the others?
I ask partly because I've noticed a few times (on internet forums and Q&A sites) that some English users express a strong disinclination towards "I would prefer him to...", which is surprising to me because that's the construction I have heard, read, and used in my own writing the most. But I've been doubting myself a lot recently when it comes to my knowledge of grammar.