Suggest and recommend
Suggest and recommend are commonly used words, but in my experience, when non-native speakers use them, they almost always make the following grammar mistake:
SUGGEST/RECOMMEND + OBJECT + THE INFINITIVE
Examples:
IF YOU WANT TO FIND A BETTER JOB, I SUGGEST YOU TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH.
MY FRIEND RECOMMENDED ME TO SEE A DOCTOR.
Why is this wrong?
Words such as ADVISE, ASK, TELL, or AGREE can be followed by the infinitive. The words SUGGEST/RECOMMEND cannot be used this way. Therefore, it’s ok to say: I ADVISE YOU TO DO SOMETHING, for example, I ADVISE YOU TO SEE A DOCTOR, or I’M ASKING YOU TO STOP SPEAKING CZECH, I’M TELLING YOU TO GO HOME, etc., but we don’t do this with SUGGEST and RECOMMEND. In my long English-teaching career, I’ve learnt never to say never, so I’m going to say that this is true 95% of the time, and I’ll explain to you when it’s ok to do it.
Here are the grammatical structures we can use after SUGGEST and RECOMMEND.
NOUNS
Examples: Would you like some wine with your steak? I SUGGEST/RECOMMEND MERLOT.
The DOCTOR SUGGESTED/RECOMMENDED EXERCISE when I told him about my back pain.
GERUNDS
A gerund is a noun formed by adding ING to a verb. For example, GOING, SWIMMING, VISITING, READING, etc.
Examples: IF YOU’RE BORED, I SUGGEST/RECOMMEND WATCHING TV.
IF YOU WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH, I SUGGEST/RECOMMEND PRACTISING EVERY DAY.
SHOULD
It’s more common in British English. But it’s my favourite option because it’s the easiest. We put SHOULD after SUGGEST and RECOMMEND and don’t need to worry about mistakes!
Examples: THE FINANCIAL ADVISOR SUGGESTED/RECOMMENDED (THAT) WE SHOULD INVEST IN BITCOIN.
I SUGGEST/RECOMMEND THIS PERSON SHOULDN’T BE HIRED AS THEY DON’T HAVE THE NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS.
THE PRESENT OR THE PAST SIMPLE.
While some more conservative English teachers(and Grammarly) may argue that this is not proper English, this structure is becoming popular. Here are some examples I found on the BBC website. And my motto has always been: “If it’s good enough for the BBC, it’s good enough for me!”
Examples: HER GRANNY SUGGESTS/RECOMMENDS THAT SHE CONTINUES WITH HER EDUCATION FOR 3 MORE YEARS.
EVERYBODY SUGGESTED/RECOMMENDED THAT SHE CONTINUED WITH HER STUDIES FOR 3 MORE YEARS.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE.
Don’t worry. This is the last one. The subjunctive deserves an independent post. For now, it’s enough to know that the subjunctive is a special verb form we use when we want to sound more formal. We make it by using the base form of a verb without to, which means it’s the same for all the persons, which means we say :
I GO WE GO
YOU GO YOU GO
SHE/HE/IT GO THEY GO
Here is a simple tip on how to form the subjunctive: Do you remember the examples with should from number 3? If you remove SHOULD from them, you’ll get the subjunctive.
Examples: THE FINANCIAL ADVISOR SUGGESTED/RECOMMENDED THAT WE INVEST IN BITCOIN.
I SUGGEST/RECOMMEND THIS PERSON NOT BE HIRED AS THEY DON’T HAVE THE NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS.
Let’s use the examples from the BBC website:
HER GRANNY SUGGEST/RECOMMENDS THAT SHE CONTINUE WITH HER EDUCATION FOR 3 MORE YEARS.
EVERYBODY SUGGESTED/RECOMMENDED THAT SHE CONTINUE WITH HER STUDIES FOR 3 MORE YEARS.
We can use “RECOMMEND(not SUGGEST!) + OBJECT + THE INFINITIVE” in the passive voice.
Examples: STUDENTS ARE RECOMMENDED TO STUDY THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS.
WE WERE RECOMMENDED TO SEE A DOCTOR.
