Suggest - how to use this verb correctly and make suggestions in English

67,644 views ・ 2015-04-15

Simple English Videos


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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If you're taking an exam like IELTS, TOEIC or TOEFL, this is a verb you'll want to get right
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Where do you want to go for dinner tonight?
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Why don't we try the Chinese place? Or how about Victor's Bistro? Good idea! Let's book
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a table. A lot of the time when we suggest things,
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we don't use the verb 'suggest'. We make suggestions with phrases like these instead.
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Why don't we try the Chinese place? Or how about Victor's Bistro? Good idea! Let's book
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a table. Suggest' is quite a formal word. We use it
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when we want to be explicit - so to be exact and clear that someone is making a suggestion.
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What are you doing, Lola? Playing a game. I suggest you do your homework first, then
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play the game. What are you doing, Lola? Playing a game.
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I suggest you do your homework first, then play the game.
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How are we getting to the meeting? By car. You know, I'm worried about the traffic at
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that time of day. Are you suggesting we take the train? Yes.
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OK. Vicki, can you book the tickets? Sure. How are we getting to the meeting? By car.
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You know, I'm worried about the traffic at that time of day.
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Are you suggesting we take the train? Yes. OK. Vicki, can you book the tickets? Sure.
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There are a lot of mistakes in this report, Jay. Why don't you do it again? Well, I could
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just change this and this. I suggest you do it again. Oh.
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There are a lot of mistakes in this report, Jay. Why don't you do it again? Well, I could
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just change this and this. I suggest you do it again. Oh.
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02:21
We often use the word 'suggest' to report what someone said.
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Hello? Oh hi, Jennifer. Hey Jay. Can you send me that report? I'm still working on it.
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I thought you'd finished it. Well Vicki suggested that I do it again. Ah!
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And here's where it gets tricky. There are lots of different structures we can use to
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report what someone suggests. All of these are correct. But there are structures
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that are wrong as well. Here are two mistakes you don't want to make.
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First, we don't use an infinitive form after suggest. This is wrong.
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Second, we can suggest something to someone, but we can't suggest someone something.
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These are the two mistakes students make most often, so let's look at another example.
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Or how about Victor's Bistro? Good idea. Let's book a table.
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And don't forget. When we make suggestions normally we don't use the verb 'suggest'.
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We use phrases like these. OK, let's open the office suggestion box.
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Yeah! Two suggestions! That's great. Open the first one. OK. 'Why don't we create
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a Facebook page for our company?' I like this idea. That's a very good suggestion.
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Read the second one. OK. 'How about having casual dress days at
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the office every day of the week?' Hmmm. That's an interesting idea. I wonder
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who suggested that.
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