Learn How to Give Advice in English - Giving Advice in English Language

So today we are going to do a lesson about  giving advice and asking for advice. So,  

you might hear some things you already  know, and I hope to give you some new  

terms and new phrases you can use. What is  advice? Do you guys know what is advice?  

Advice is an opinion that someone gives you about  what you should do, or how you should act in a  

situation in life. So, advice is something  we can give, and something we can ask for.  

So, what kind of words can we use to give advice?  Well, one tip is right here in our definition.  

Advice is when someone gives their opinion  about what you should do, or how you should act.  

And indeed, this is one of the  words we will talk about today.  

So, who do you usually ask for advice?  And have you ever given advice in English? 

So, let's start our lesson with giving advice. So  how can we give advice in English? There are many  

ways we can, but today let's talk about four  words, four terms we can use to give advice.  

Today let's talk about the words could,  should, ought to, and had better.  

So, when we look at these words, they are similar  and we can use all of them for giving advice,  

but some of them are a little weak and some of  them are stronger. So, it's what kind of advice  

we're going to give. So, we're going to talk about  this. So, we're going to start at the bottom with  

“could” and go up. So, let's begin with the word  “could.” “Could” is something called a modal  

verb. A modal verb is an auxiliary or helping  verb that expresses necessity or possibility.  

If you guys don't know this word, “necessity,”  it is related to the word need. Or you,  

if maybe you know the word necessary. So, modal  verbs in English are words like could, should,  

may, and might and so on. So, one tip about  modal verbs is they come before other verbs.  

So even in our definition of what is advice, we  saw it is people giving their opinion about what  

you should do, or how you should act. Right, so  a modal verb like “could” or “should” come before  

that other verb. Should do, could do, ought to  act, and we're going to see that a lot today.  

So, we're starting at the bottom of our  line right. “Could” is a weak or not strong  

way to give advice. Often, we use “could” to kind  of make a suggestion, to suggest a choice, or  

two or more choices. You could kind of like maybe  here's a choice that you have. You could do this,  

so “could” is really more of a way to offer a  suggestion let's take a look at some examples.  

Let's say I’m talking to my friend, and she says  “I don't know what I’m going to have for dinner.  

I have all these ingredients, but I don't feel  like cooking.” I might say, “oh you could have  

pizza for dinner right.” Offering a suggestion  or a choice you could have pizza for dinner. 

Next, in this sentence we see using  “could” to look at two choices.  

You could wear the black shirt or the blue shirt.  Maybe I’m trying to help someone choose an outfit.  

“Hmm you could wear that one or that one, but not  the other ones,” right. Those are your choices.  

You could wear this or that. So, in these first  two we see, right suggestion offering choices. 

Or again, just a suggestion. Maybe someone  is asking you, “what you think they should  

do for vacation?” “You could travel to Japan for  vacation.” You could, maybe just a suggestion.

So, with our modal verbs like, “could” and  “should,” when we use “not” it also comes  

before that second verb right so just like  we would say if we look here; could have,  

could wear, could travel. If we want to add “not”  it comes right after the word “could” for example,  

let's say my friend is asking for  advice, what they should do tonight,  

and they say; “Oh I think I’m gonna see a movie.”  I might say, “You could not see a movie tonight.  

You could hang out with me instead.” One thing  to mention is when we use “not” like this,  

this is not a very common use. Usually when we  use “could,” we're using it in the positive form.  

When we use it in the negative form with  “not” we often put some word stress on  

“not” right because it's a suggestion. So, listen  to how I say it, “You could not see a movie  

tonight. You could hang out with me instead.”  So, this sentence might be in response to,  

I think I’m going to go see a movie, but I  want to hang out with my friend. So, I suggest  

you could “not” see a movie tonight you could  hang out with me instead. One more thing to notice  

before we go to our next word is that second  verb. Right so, “could have,” “could wear,”  

“could travel.” So, what do we notice about all  of these verbs? And here, down here, see “hang  

out.” What do you guys notice? What is similar?  What is the same between all of these words? 

All of these words are in their infinitive form.  So, they're, they have not changed. So, we don't  

use “has” or “where's” or “traveled” right. We're  just using that simple present tense. You “could  

have,” you “could wear,” you “could travel” and  we'll see this with all of our verbs today. Okay  

so “could” is used for very weak, not strong  advice. Next, let's take a look at the words  

“should” and “ought to.” As we see here, “should”  and “ought to” are stronger than could, but  

weaker than “had better.” So, let's  take a closer look at these two terms.  

“Should” is also a modal verb and “ought to”  is a semi-modal verb. And what this means  

and why it's important is that they also come  before the second verbs. Just like we saw  

“could,” see “could travel,” we would say “should”  see “ought to” travel. So, it works the same way,  

and “should” and “ought to” can be used in the  same sentences, in the same way. And they have  

the same meaning. So, if I say something  like uh, “you should travel to Canada.”  

I could also say, “You ought to travel to Canada.”  And those two sentences mean the same thing. 

These are probably the most commonly  used advice words, especially “should.”  

If you have been learning English for many  years, I am sure you have given advice or  

made some sentences with “you should,” or I  think you should right. Probably the one that  

we think of most commonly so we're going  to look at some examples, but a quick note  

“ought to” is also very common in English, but it  can always with “to” even in the negative form.  

So, I would never say something like, “you  ought go.” I would say, “you ought to go.”  

And even in the negative form “you ought not  to.” So, one difference here right, we'd say  

“could not,” “should not,” but here with “ought  to” not goes in the middle. “You ought not to.”  

So, let's take a look at some examples of  how we can use “should,” and “ought to.”  

Number one: “you should come to dinner with me.”  So simple right? This is stronger than, “you  

could.” If I said, “you could come to dinner with  me.” It's just a suggestion. “you should” means  

I’m telling you that I want you to. I think  you should. “You ought to go to the beach this  

summer.” So here again, same level of giving  advice. One quick tip about saying “ought to.”  

Often in English, we, when we have words like  this sometimes, we take two words and put them  

together. For example, I think in the live stream  last week someone asked about “want to” being  

shortened to “wanna.” So I might say something  like instead of “what do you want to do?”  

“What do you wanna do?” Easier to say,  especially when we have the double “t”  

and it's the same with “ought to.” Often  we say something like “otta,” “you otta  

go to the beach this summer.” So usually,  we say it a little quickly like that.  

Let's take a look at some  negative, what should you not do.  

You shouldn't wear a jacket today,  it's too hot. Right, oh today so hot,  

you shouldn't wear a jacket right. My advice,  you really shouldn't. And let's see “ought not  

to,” not as commonly used, but you do hear it.  “You ought not to have ordered so much food.”  

And again, when we're looking at these sentences,  we see first that our modal verbs “should” and  

“ought to” are first right. They're number  one. They come before our second verbs come.  

“Go,” “where,” and “have.” And that, those  second verbs are in just their base form.  

Okay, so these are the most commonly used advice  words. Alright, last for giving advice and then  

after this we'll talk about asking for advice, is  the term “had better.” This is the strongest way  

to give advice and it's almost like you're  saying you should do it right. You need to do it.  

So, very very strong advice. So, “had better”  is used to talk about the present or the future,  

and one thing to be careful about is the  verb form is always had not have or has. So,  

for every subject, “I had better, you had better,  she had better, we had better, they had better,  

and so on. We always use had with this  and one way to make it a little easier  

is that normally we shorten had to “d” in  informal situations. For example, instead  

of saying “you had better go to sleep.” I might  say something like, “you'd better go to sleep.”  

Okay so let's see a few  more examples of how to use  

“had better,” and before we do noting again  it is the strongest way to give advice.  

Which means we might use “had better” when we're  talking about very important situations, safety,  

or your health right. Go to the doctor. They  might say, you'd better, “you'd better exercise  

every day.” “You'd better take your medicine.”  Right, important things. It's just kind of a  

more polite, more polite than saying do it,  but you'd better it's a little more polite.  

Okay, so let's take a look at how we use “had  better” in these important situation sentences.  

Number one, “you'd better go to the doctor,  you're bleeding.” Right, if I, oh my gosh,  

if I see someone who, oh wow, maybe blood, oh no  they got a bad cut, or they fell. “Oh you'd better  

go to the doctor.” Right, very strong advice.  “You'd better go,” if you don't go there could  

be a problem, “you'd better go.” Number two,  “he’d better study, he's about to fail.” Oh no,  

so maybe uh one of my students, he's very close,  maybe he has, his grade is a D in the class. Uh-oh  

he'd better study for the test because he's  so close to failing. “He'd better study.”

Okay next, here we have something about safety.  “We had better put bright lights on our bikes  

so other drivers can see us.” Right, we “had  better” do that because it is an important thing  

for our safety. So, “we had better.” We wouldn't  want to use a word like “should” or “could” here  

because it's very important. And the last one,  hmm I see a police officer giving out tickets,  

“you'd better pay for parking.” So maybe my  friend is driving, oh I see a police officer,  

“hey you'd better pay for parking  so you don't get a ticket.”  

And notice with each of these situations we're  giving strong advice. I would not say, “hey you're  

bleeding you could go to the doctor.” no No no,  if you have a big problem “you'd better go,” right  

if we are worried, worried about our  safety. We're going on a bike, not  

“oh you could put lights on your bike.” No no  “you had better.” Right very strong advice.

Alright so those are the main words we use to  give advice in English but let me tell you a few  

more before we talk about asking for advice. We  also give advice using, “if I were you, I would…”  

So, let's say I have a situation where  

I’m talking to my friend and they are they  have a lot of homework, and they don't,  

oh I don't know what to do. I might say  hmm, “if I were you, I would make a plan.”  

So, this means if I was in your situation, this is  what I would do right. This is also fairly common.  

Next, “I suggest that you.” so a few  times in today's live stream I’ve used  

the word “suggestion.” Especially like “could”  right. We use “could” to make a suggestion.  

So, we can actually also say, “I suggest.” So  same thing. “If I were you, I would make a plan.”  

I suggest that you make a plan. It might be a good  idea too. It might be a good idea to make a plan.  

So, if we take a look at these, especially “if I  were you, I would…” and it might be a good idea.  

This is a very polite very. Polite, not very  direct right. “You should, you ought to” no  

oh well, “if I were you, it might be a good idea.”  So here a very soft and polite way to give advice.  

And next, we have questions. “Why don't  you…, have you considered… One thing with  

questions is our verb here is going to end  in “ing,” why don't you, uh why don't you,  

nope my mistake. uh only with “have  you.” “Why don't you make a plan?”  

Have you considered making a plan? So these are  five more ways that we can give advice alright.