SUGGEST + -ING = "She suggested taking a break" (recommending an action). SUGGEST + THAT + subject = "She suggested that we should take a break" / "She suggested that we take a break" (American subjunctive). SUGGEST does NOT take TO: "She suggested to take a break" = INCORRECT. SUGGEST does NOT take a person object: "She suggested me to go" = INCORRECT. "She suggested that I should go" = correct.
SUGGEST + -ING (GERUND): the most common and simple form for making suggestions. The gerund represents the recommended action without specifying who should do it (or it is obvious from context). "The consultant suggested restructuring the department." "I suggest reviewing the proposal before the meeting." "Has anyone suggested postponing the launch?" TYPICAL CONTEXT: when the suggestion applies to the group in general, or the subject of the recommended action is clear from context. OTHER VERBS WITH -ING (same pattern): recommend, consider, avoid, finish, keep, practise, risk, mind. "I recommend reading the report" (never "recommend to read" in this sense).
During the strategy session, the external facilitator suggested diversifying the revenue streams by exploring adjacent market segments that would reduce the organization's dependence on a single category of clients.
The project steering committee has suggested postponing the final review until all stakeholder feedback has been consolidated into a single document, rather than proceeding with the review in the current fragmented state of inputs.
I suggest allocating at least two additional weeks to the user testing phase, as the feedback gathered from the initial pilot indicates that there are several usability issues that should be addressed before the product is released to the wider market.
SUGGEST + THAT + CLAUSE: when you need to specify WHO should do the action, use a "that" clause with an explicit subject. THREE OPTIONS: (1) SUGGEST + THAT + subject + SHOULD + bare infinitive: "She suggested that we should review the budget" (most common and international). (2) SUGGEST + THAT + subject + past subjunctive (formal British): "She suggested that we reviewed the budget" (rare, very formal). (3) SUGGEST + THAT + subject + bare infinitive (present subjunctive — formal American English): "She suggested that we review the budget" (no SHOULD, no third-person -s). ALL THREE ARE EQUIVALENT IN MEANING. Most used in general English: SHOULD. Most used in formal/written American English: present subjunctive (no SHOULD). SUGGEST DOES NOT ACCEPT: "She suggested him to go" = INCORRECT (SUGGEST cannot take a person object + infinitive like TELL/ASK/WANT). "She suggested to go" = INCORRECT (no TO directly after SUGGEST).
The legal advisors suggested that the company should seek independent arbitration before initiating any formal legal proceedings, on the grounds that arbitration would be significantly less costly and time-consuming than litigation.
The independent auditors suggested that the board review the existing internal control framework and consider engaging a specialist third party to assess whether the current risk management procedures meet current regulatory standards.
Several members of the working group suggested that a phased implementation approach might be preferable to a full system migration, as it would allow the organization to identify and resolve integration issues progressively rather than encountering them simultaneously.
Common mistake
THE THREE TYPICAL ERRORS: (1) SUGGEST + TO + infinitive: "I suggest to review the report" = INCORRECT. SUGGEST does not accept TO directly: "I suggest reviewing" (gerund) or "I suggest that we should review" (clause). (2) SUGGEST + person object + TO + infinitive: "She suggested me to attend the meeting" = INCORRECT. SUGGEST does not work like TELL/ASK/WANT + person + TO. "She suggested that I should attend" = correct. "She suggested attending the meeting" = correct (without specifying who). (3) SUGGEST + THAT + subject + should + -S in third person: "She suggested that he should reviews..." = INCORRECT. After SHOULD = bare infinitive: "should review." (4) RECOMMEND = same pattern as SUGGEST: never "I recommend you to read."
Trick to remember it
SUGGEST + -ING = suggestion without a specific subject. SUGGEST + THAT + subject + SHOULD = suggestion specifying who. SUGGEST NEVER + TO directly. SUGGEST NEVER + person + TO. TEST: do you need to say WHO? = THAT + subject + SHOULD. Not needed or obvious? = -ING. "I suggest taking..." (who is obvious). "I suggest that SHE should take..." (specifying who).
Quick rule
SUGGEST + -ING: "I suggest reviewing the report." SUGGEST + THAT + subject + should/subjunctive: "I suggest that we should review / that we review." NEVER: "suggest to review" / "suggest me to review" / "suggest you to go." Same for RECOMMEND.
Did you know?
The verb SUGGEST belongs to a category of English verbs called "reporting verbs," along with RECOMMEND, PROPOSE, INSIST, DEMAND, REQUEST, and others. What makes this group special is that they do not accept the object + infinitive structure that the TELL/ASK/WANT/EXPECT group accepts ("tell someone to do"). This difference is not arbitrary: reporting verbs introduce propositional content (an idea or recommendation) and therefore structure with "that" clauses or gerunds. Control verbs (TELL/ASK) directly influence another person's behavior and therefore accept object + infinitive. This distinction between "propositional verbs" (SUGGEST) and "control verbs" (TELL) is one of the most studied points in computational linguistics because natural language processing systems must recognize it to correctly interpret the meaning of sentences in which they appear.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
At the end of the debrief, the project director suggested _____ a post-implementation review within thirty days of the system going live, in order to capture lessons learned while the project experience was still fresh.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The independent review panel suggested _____ a formal whistleblowing policy that clearly outlines the reporting channels available to employees and the protections that will be guaranteed to those who come forward with concerns.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
SUGGEST + -ING: "I suggest reviewing the report." SUGGEST + THAT + subject + should/subjunctive: "I suggest that we should review / that we review." NEVER: "suggest to review" / "suggest me to review" / "suggest you to go." Same for RECOMMEND.
THE THREE TYPICAL ERRORS: (1) SUGGEST + TO + infinitive: "I suggest to review the report" = INCORRECT. SUGGEST does not accept TO directly: "I suggest reviewing" (gerund) or "I suggest that we should review" (clause). (2) SUGGEST + person object + TO + infinitive: "She suggested me to attend the meeting" = INCORRECT. SUGGEST does not work like TELL/ASK/WANT + person + TO. "She suggested that I should attend" = correct. "She suggested attending the meeting" = correct (without specifying who). (3) SUGGEST + THAT + subject + should + -S in third person: "She suggested that he should reviews..." = INCORRECT. After SHOULD = bare infinitive: "should review." (4) RECOMMEND = same pattern as SUGGEST: never "I recommend you to read."
SUGGEST + -ING = suggestion without a specific subject. SUGGEST + THAT + subject + SHOULD = suggestion specifying who. SUGGEST NEVER + TO directly. SUGGEST NEVER + person + TO. TEST: do you need to say WHO? = THAT + subject + SHOULD. Not needed or obvious? = -ING. "I suggest taking..." (who is obvious). "I suggest that SHE should take..." (specifying who).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy