Making suggestions in English
May 13th, 2017 in English Learning
One way of telling people what they should do is to use the phrase I think you should…
- I think you should consult a specialist.
- I think you should accept that job.
- I think you should talk to him.
To make a more direct suggestion, you can use You should…
- You should get that car repaired.
- You should find a better job.
To suggest what someone else can do, use the phrase You could…
- You could help him.
- You could ask him to help you.
- ‘What shall I do tomorrow?’ ‘Well, you could go for a long drive.’
- When you’re in London, you could go and see Mary.
If you want to do something, you can say Let’s …
- Let’s go for a walk, shall we?
- Let’s buy something to eat. I’m starved!
- Let’s buy some flowers for her.
If you want to make a suggestion and see if other people agree with you, use Shall we…
- Shall we go for a walk?
- Shall we buy something to eat?
- Shall we ask Susie if she wants to come with us?
- Shall we buy a new home?
Another very common way of making suggestions is to use the phrase How about…?
- How about buying something to eat?
- How about watching a film?
- How about taking a short break?
- How about buying a new car?
- How about asking his help?
- How about going for a drive?
Note that a verb used after How about…? should be in the –ing form.