ESEN
Which one to use?Advancedverbverb
SuggestvsRecommend
'Suggest' and 'recommend' never take 'to' + infinitive; they use a gerund or a 'that' clause.
Side-by-side comparison
Suggest
verb"Suggest" and "recommend" are synonyms in many contexts: both propose something. The difference lies in the structure that follows them.
She suggested going to the new Thai restaurant for lunch together on Friday.
He suggested that we take a different route to avoid the traffic on the main road.
My flatmate suggested painting the living room a warmer colour before winter arrives.
Recommend
verb"Recommend" can be followed by an infinitive with "to" when there is an object: "I recommend you to try it". "Suggest" never takes this structure.
I really recommend this book. I read it in two days and could not put it down at all.
The doctor recommended that she rest for at least a week before going back to work.
Can you recommend a good language school in the city? I want to improve my French level.
Common mistake
The most common error: infinitive after SUGGEST or RECOMMEND. "She suggested to go" = INCORRECT. "I recommend you to do it" = INCORRECT. SUGGEST and RECOMMEND do not take TO + infinitive as a direct complement (unlike WANT, ASK, TELL, INVITE). Correct: "She suggested GOING" or "I recommend that you DO it."
Trick to remember it
- •Test: can I put "to" directly after the verb (without an object in between)? No = SUGGEST/RECOMMEND (use gerund or that-clause).
- •Yes = WANT/TELL/ADVISE/INVITE.
- •If you need an infinitive with an object, use ADVISE: "I advise you TO read this." Nuance: suggest = to propose (neutral); recommend = to endorse with authority or experience.
Quick rule
- •Suggest / recommend + gerund: "I suggest going." + that-clause: "I suggest that we go." Never + infinitive: "I suggest to go" = INCORRECT.
- •If you need an infinitive = use ADVISE: "I advise you to go."
Did you know?
The error "suggest to go" is one of the most documented in interlanguage research (the intermediate linguistic system of language learners). Researchers have found this error is especially persistent because in Spanish "sugerir + infinitivo" is a valid structure ("sugerir ir"), and Spanish speakers transfer this pattern to English. Most remarkably: even C1 and C2 students make this error in spontaneous production (unplanned speech). The distinction between verbs that take infinitives and verbs that take gerunds in English is one of the phenomena most resistant to formal instruction, learners learn the rule but forget it under the pressure of fast production.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Can you _____ a good restaurant near the city centre?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The doctor _____ ed that she get more sleep and reduce her stress levels.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
GerundvsInfinitive
Some verbs take a gerund (-ing), others take an infinitive (to + verb), and some take both with different meanings.
Make a decisionvsTake a decision
'Make a decision' is the standard American collocation; 'take a decision' is more common in formal British English.
WishvsIf only
'Wish' and 'if only' express desires about hypothetical situations; 'if only' is more emphatic and dramatic.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy