7 ADVICE and SUGGESTIONS

M - This episode is going to be about... ADVICE and SUGGESTIONS!

- Marta, why do we have to talk about advice and suggestions? I suggest you explain why?

M - I know, I know, you, native speakers kinda take it for granted, but to us learners it's not easy. We need to know how to build the sentence according to the verb we use and we need to be aware of the shades of meaning that each verb and expression conveys.

- You're right, our listeners could be confused about how and when to use the verbs to SUGGEST, to RECOMMEND or to ADVISE, just to mention the most common ones.

M - Yeah, for instance I always have this sort of doubt : what do I have to use? 'Gerund or infinitive?' this is the question. It's not 'to be or not to be?', my dear friend William Shakespeare, you SHOULD rewrite it, William, trust me, it OUGHTA be 'Gerund or infinitive?!'.

- True! But let me say that in addressing Sir William Shakespeare, Marta, you NEED TO be more formal and polite.

M - Was there anything wrong with what I said ?

- It was grammatically correct, you used “should” and “oughta” -that is a slang word, a contraction of ought to- , but when speaking with someone like William Shakespeare YOU'BETTER say something like this instead: “With all due respect, Sir, if I were in your position, I would change that sentence”. Marta, try that sentence again.

M - All right, all right. ‘’With all due respect, Sir, if I were in your position, I would change that sentence’’. How was that?

– Perfect, beautiful.

M – Okay, so far we have 'you should' 'you ought to' 'you need to' 'IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD...' and 'you'd better'- that is you had better.

- Now let's talk about “to recommend” and “to suggest”.

M - First off, there is a difference of meaning, right?

- To recommend means telling someone what you think the right thing to do is according to your experience or knowledge, while to suggest means to give an idea, to offer some further possibilities to a matter.

M - Ok, let's give our listeners a few examples to show them how to use these verbs. Cindy, could you recommend a good language podcast?

- Marta, I’m so glad you asked! I recommend 'my American friend’!

M - I agree with you, I've been told it's a good one...

- Ok, now listen to this: I recommend listening to 'my American friend'. Or: I recommend that you listen to 'my American friend'.

M - All right, so we can use this verb in three different ways. To recommend doing something, to recommend something, and to recommend that you do something. How about “to suggest “?

- Same three structures. For example: I suggest that you listen to 'my American friend' while jogging in the park.

M - Mmm, good idea!

- Or: I suggest listening to 'my American friend' while driving in your car on long journeys (we're going to prevent you from falling asleep!).

M - Yeah, definitely! May I also suggest our Facebook page to our listeners?

- Good idea! And by the way, friends, do you know that we are on Twitter as well? Our account is mAf_podcast

M - Ok, let me try this one: I suggest that you follow us on Twitter. Was that correct?

- Perfect, Marta, you're not just a beautiful face! You’re a quick learner too!

M - Thank you! So, now we know how to MAKE RECOMMENDATION and how to MAKE SUGGESTION.

- Great. ok. now what about learning how to GIVE ADVICE or to GIVE PIECE OF ADVICE to someone?

M - That's a good point, advice is uncountable, so if it's singular it's a piece of advice.

- You usually give advice if you have some authority to do so, for example if you're a lawyer counseling your client, a mother talking to your children, or a doctor talking to a patient, and so on.

M - So