Common Grammar Mistakes

 Advise, Recommend, Suggest

Can you suggest me a place to go?

Can you suggest a place for me to go? / where I should go?

I advise to see a lawyer.

I (would) advise you to see a lawyer.

He recommended her to see a doctor.

He recommended that she should see a doctor.

I recommend to identify some key points to remember.

I recommend that we should identify / recommend identifying some key points 

to remember.

We suggest you to come with us.

We suggest (that) you (should) come with us.

They suggested to use Google Translate.

They suggested using Google Translate.

“Why don’t you see a doctor?”

He suggested / recommended (that) she (should) see a doctor.

He advised her to see a doctor.

I would advise you to see a doctor.

Have you thought about seeing a doctor? It might be a good idea to see a doctor.

“Why don’t we all go out for a drink?”

He suggested that we should all go out for a drink.

He suggested we all go out for a drink.

He suggested going out for a drink.

“What can I do? Where can I go?”

Can you suggest / recommend what I could do and where I could go?

Can you suggest / recommend somewhere (for me) to go?

Can you advise me where to go

Guidelines

• suggest doing something. This form tends to be used when the subject of

suggest is also involved in the activity. e.g. He suggested going for a coffee =

he is going for a coffee with the others.

• suggest (that) someone (should) do something. This form tends to be used

when the subject of suggest is making the suggestion to someone else. e.g.

They suggested that I should go and see a doctor. However, it can also be used

when the person making the suggestion is also going to be involved in the

activity e.g. He suggested that we should all go and get a coffee.

• recommend follows the same rules as suggest

• recommend something / someone to someone: He recommended his lawyer

to me. Not: He recommended to me his lawyer.

• advise someone to do something e.g. They advised us to go by train.

Choose the correct form

1. What do you suggest that I should do / me to do?

2. They advised to get / us to get there early.

3. Health experts recommend reducing / to reduce / that we reduce our intake of

salt.

4. He advised seeing / me to see his dentist.

5. I suggest you to go / that you should go there.

6. He recommended to me a bar on the high street / a bar on the high street

(to me).

7. We suggest doing / to do this at least once a day.

8. I recommend to follow / following these instructions very carefully.

9. I suggest you to study / you should study more.

10. They advised to not have contact / us not to have contact with her again.

Answer:

1) that I should do 2) us to get 3) that we reduce / reducing 4) me to see 5) that you

should 6) a bar on the high street to me 7) doing 8) following 9) you should study

10) us not to have contact