The Verbs Advise, Suggest and Recommend
2021-01-08
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1Today, we begin the program with a short listening exercise.
2Pay attention for two verbs connected to giving advice:
3If you are like me, you may not have had a real haircut since the pandemic began.
4But a friend just recommended a hair salon on 17th Street.
5She also suggested I call for an appointment at least one month before the desired date.
6Did you catch the two verbs related to advice-giving? They are "recommend" and "suggest."
7In English, there are several verbs that carry the meaning of advice.
8On today's program, we will talk about three of them.
9The verbs "advise," "suggest" and "recommend" are close in meaning but there are some differences.
10However, these verbs share a few sentence patterns.
11Let me begin by talking about differences between the meanings and uses.
12The verb "advise" is the most formal of the three and is usually used when someone with authority or expertise gives a strong suggestion.
13It could come from a government official, for example, or a work supervisor, a doctor or someone else.
14Its noun form -- "advice" -- does not carry the same usage rule.
15Anyone can offer advice to anyone else.
16The verb "recommend" is less formal than "advise" and more personal.
17It is usually used when someone is making a suggestion based on his or her personal experience.
18Friends, family and coworkers, for example, often recommend things to each other.
19Even a friendly stranger can recommend something based on experience.
20"Suggest" is the least formal of the three verbs.
21We use this verb in many situations to offer an idea, opinion or possible plan of action for someone to consider.
22Note that, in common, everyday English, the verbs "suggest" and "recommend" are sometimes used interchangeably.
23Now, let's do a quick self-test to see how much we know about sentence patterns.
24I will give you three sentences.
25You decide which ones use correct grammar.
26Here they are:
27My dad suggested that I speak with my doctor.
28She recommended to me a documentary film.
29The teacher advised you should study more.
30Did you decide which sentences are correct?
31The only correct answer is: "My dad suggested that I speak with my doctor."
32If you are unclear about why it's correct, do not worry.
33Even highly experienced English learners can find the patterns tricky.
34Now, let's jump into the grammar.
35The verbs "advise" "suggest" and "recommend" can follow many sentence patterns.
36Today, we will focus on a few patterns they have in common.
37Each verb can be followed by:
38a noun phrase
39a that-clause
40or a gerund
41The first pattern is verb + noun phrase.
42A noun phrase is a group of words in a sentence that act as a subject or object.
43Noun phrases that follow the verbs "advise" "recommend" and "suggest" act as sentence objects.
44Listen to an example to find out what I mean.
45Pay attention to the verb and the noun phrase that follows:
46My doctor advises 30 minutes of cardio per day.
47Here, the noun phrase after "advises" is "30 minutes of cardio."
48Can you recommend a good restaurant in town?
49Did you find the noun phrase after "recommend"? It is "a good restaurant."
50May I suggest this natural pet food?
51Did you catch the noun phrase? It is "this natural pet food."
52Sometimes, we want to name the person who receives the suggestion.
53When we do this, we often follow the noun phrase with to + person.
54Listen to an example, which corrects a sentence from the short test earlier.
55She recommended a documentary film to me.
56The noun phrase here is "a documentary film."
57Notice that "to me" comes after (not before) the noun phrase to show who received the suggestion.
58The verbs "advise," "suggest" and "recommend" can also be followed by that- clauses.
59A clause is a part of a sentence with its own subject and verb.
60That-clauses begin with the word "that" and are noun clauses.
61Listen to some examples.
62Notice that each of our verbs of advice is followed by a that-clause:
63Toni suggests that we hit the road by 6 in the morning.
64Our boss advised that the team finish the project before the holiday.
65I recommend that you bring warmer clothing. It can get really cold there at night.
66There are two things to know about using that-clauses with these verbs:
67The first is that the basic form of the verb must be used in the that-clause.
68The basic forms in the examples are "hit," "finish" and "bring."
69The second is we can leave out the word "that" in noun clauses, especially in everyday speech and writing.
70For example, there is no difference in meaning between "I recommend that you bring warmer clothing" and "I recommend you bring warmer clothing."
71And finally, the verbs "advise," "suggest" and "recommend" can be followed by gerunds.
72Some of you may remember that a gerund is the -ing form of a verb and acts as a noun.
73Listen to these examples and notice that each verb is followed by a gerund:
74I suggest taking a walk after lunch.
75Our lawyers advised against speaking to the media.
76We recommend going to the park on weekdays.
77Did you find the gerunds? They are "taking," "speaking" and "going."
78Notice that we use the preposition "against" when we are expressing a negative meaning of "advise."
79Well, that's our program for today. I recommend that you come back next week for another grammar lesson!
80I'm Alice Bryant.
1Today, we begin the program with a short listening exercise. Pay attention for two verbs connected to giving advice: 2If you are like me, you may not have had a real haircut since the pandemic began. But a friend just recommended a hair salon on 17th Street. She also suggested I call for an appointment at least one month before the desired date. 3Did you catch the two verbs related to advice-giving? They are "recommend" and "suggest." 4In English, there are several verbs that carry the meaning of advice. On today's program, we will talk about three of them. The verbs "advise," "suggest" and "recommend" are close in meaning but there are some differences. However, these verbs share a few sentence patterns. 5Meanings and uses 6Let me begin by talking about differences between the meanings and uses. 7The verb "advise" is the most formal of the three and is usually used when someone with authority or expertise gives a strong suggestion. It could come from a government official, for example, or a work supervisor, a doctor or someone else. Its noun form -- "advice" -- does not carry the same usage rule. Anyone can offer advice to anyone else. 8The verb "recommend" is less formal than "advise" and more personal. It is usually used when someone is making a suggestion based on his or her personal experience. Friends, family and coworkers, for example, often recommend things to each other. Even a friendly stranger can recommend something based on experience. 9"Suggest" is the least formal of the three verbs. We use this verb in many situations to offer an idea, opinion or possible plan of action for someone to consider. 10Note that, in common, everyday English, the verbs "suggest" and "recommend" are sometimes used interchangeably. 11A very quick test 12Now, let's do a quick self-test to see how much we know about sentence patterns. I will give you three sentences. You decide which ones use correct grammar. Here they are: 13My dad suggested that I speak with my doctor. 14She recommended to me a documentary film. 15The teacher advised you should study more. 16Did you decide which sentences are correct? The only correct answer is: "My dad suggested that I speak with my doctor." 17If you are unclear about why it's correct, do not worry. Even highly experienced English learners can find the patterns tricky. 18Many sentence patterns 19Now, let's jump into the grammar. 20The verbs "advise" "suggest" and "recommend" can follow many sentence patterns. Today, we will focus on a few patterns they have in common. Each verb can be followed by: 21a noun phrase 22a that-clause 23or a gerund 24Verb + noun phrase 25The first pattern is verb + noun phrase. A noun phrase is a group of words in a sentence that act as a subject or object. Noun phrases that follow the verbs "advise" "recommend" and "suggest" act as sentence objects. 26Listen to an example to find out what I mean. Pay attention to the verb and the noun phrase that follows: 27My doctor advises 30 minutes of cardio per day. 28Here, the noun phrase after "advises" is "30 minutes of cardio." 29Can you recommend a good restaurant in town? 30Did you find the noun phrase after "recommend"? It is "a good restaurant." 31May I suggest this natural pet food? 32Did you catch the noun phrase? It is "this natural pet food." 33Sometimes, we want to name the person who receives the suggestion. When we do this, we often follow the noun phrase with to + person. Listen to an example, which corrects a sentence from the short test earlier. 34She recommended a documentary film to me. 35The noun phrase here is "a documentary film." Notice that "to me" comes after (not before) the noun phrase to show who received the suggestion. 36Verb + that-clause 37The verbs "advise," "suggest" and "recommend" can also be followed by that- clauses. A clause is a part of a sentence with its own subject and verb. That-clauses begin with the word "that" and are noun clauses. 38Listen to some examples. Notice that each of our verbs of advice is followed by a that-clause: 39Toni suggests that we hit the road by 6 in the morning. 40Our boss advised that the team finish the project before the holiday. 41I recommend that you bring warmer clothing. It can get really cold there at night. 42There are two things to know about using that-clauses with these verbs: 43The first is that the basic form of the verb must be used in the that-clause. The basic forms in the examples are "hit," "finish" and "bring." 44The second is we can leave out the word "that" in noun clauses, especially in everyday speech and writing. For example, there is no difference in meaning between "I recommend that you bring warmer clothing" and "I recommend you bring warmer clothing." 45Verb + gerund 46And finally, the verbs "advise," "suggest" and "recommend" can be followed by gerunds. 47Some of you may remember that a gerund is the -ing form of a verb and acts as a noun. Listen to these examples and notice that each verb is followed by a gerund: 48I suggest taking a walk after lunch. 49Our lawyers advised against speaking to the media. 50We recommend going to the park on weekdays. 51Did you find the gerunds? They are "taking," "speaking" and "going." Notice that we use the preposition "against" when we are expressing a negative meaning of "advise." 52Well, that's our program for today. I recommend that you come back next week for another grammar lesson! 53I'm Alice Bryant. 54Alice Bryant wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 55_______________________________________________________________ 56A Common Mistake 57Some English learners and native English speakers make the common mistake of using modal verbs, such as "should," after today's verbs. A person may say or write, for example, "The teacher advised you should study more." Use of the modal verb "should" here makes the wording redundant. The verb "advise" already expresses that someone should do something. This redundancy is sometimes acceptable in British English. But do not use it in American English. 58________________________________________________________________ 59Words in This Story 60salon -n. a business that gives people treatments to improve their appearance 61pattern -n. a repeated design or structure that can be identified 62formal -adj. language that is for serious or official speech 63authority -n. the power or influence to give directions 64focus -n. the main purpose or interest 65cardio -n. exercises that raise your heart and breathing rates 66pet -n. an animal such as a dog or cat that people keep mainly for pleasure 67boss-n. the person whose job is to tell other workers what to do 68negative -adj. expressing no, not approving 69redundant -adj. something repeated that is not necessary