English Café: Two common grammar mistakes with “suggest”

Advanced Details: Two common mistakes with “suggest”

Suggest is a special verb!

Suggest means mention or recommend something to think about, or something someone should do. You suggest a thought or an idea. You can also suggest a person (as the best person to do a job)..

• NOT: He suggested me to call Pornchai. He suggested that I call Pornchai. (or He suggested calling Pornchai.)
• Don’t use me, us, you, etc. as indirect object pronouns after suggest. Use a that-clause after suggest.

Don’t use an infinitive (to + verb) after suggest. Don’t say I suggest to do something.

• “His boss suggested that he replace the valve.”

And. Hmmmmm. Let’s look at this sentence above. Do you notice something strange about the verb? Shouldn’t it be “he replaces”?

No. This is what makes the English verb suggest different from other verbs. Use replace NOT replaces. The verb stays in the base form of the verb.

• Her brother suggests that she should study harder. (NOT: Her brother suggests that she studies harder.)

Also, in American English it is not common to use should in the that-clause. It is more common in British English.

Tip: You don’t need to include that in the sentence. It is still a that-clause even if you don’t say or write that in this sentence structure. So, you can write: He suggested (that) you take a holiday. (NOT: He suggested to go for a walk together.)

To carry on from above, remember, don’t use an infinitive (to + verb) after suggest! If you want to use a verb directly after suggest, use a gerund!

• Adisorn suggested changing out the moto.
• He suggested going for a walk together.