Verb Recommend+Infinitive forms

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Instructor1955

#486620 Sun, 09 Mar 08 11:30 AM

Hello taechers

While taking some English grammar tests, I have come across this sentence :

"If you don't already have them, we recommend you buy copies of both if you are serious about learning English. "

I know that's grammatically correct, still, Talking with my American colleagues at work,they were all saying the verb recommend is always followed by an infiniteve verb with "TO". For Example :" The Doctor recommended him to loose weight "

What's your opinion?

Regards

The Instructor1955

Instructor1955

Joined on Mon, Oct 29 2007

Naples

New Member (22)

Regards, Grammar, Verbs, English grammar, Learning English

Kooyeen

#486625 Sun, 09 Mar 08 11:43 AM

Hi,
it's always difficult to remember the right structures for all those verbs, like "recommend", "advise", "suggest", etc.
One of my dictionaries (Longman) doesn't mention the structure "recommend someone to do something", but another (Oxford) says that structure is ok. So in the end I have no idea what Americans could say...

Kooyeen

Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005

Italy

Senior Member (3,973)

If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.

Verbs

Yankee

#486652 Sun, 09 Mar 08 12:47 PM

Your American colleagues must all speak the same dialect, but the dialect they speak is apparently not the same as mine. Wink

What part of the US are your colleagues from?

- The doctor recommended (that) he lose weight. (lose = subjunctive)

- The doctor recommended losing weight.

- The doctor told/advised him to lose weight. (I would not use recommend in this construction, but I suppose some would.)

Yankee

Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006

Connecticut, USA

Senior Member (4,157)

Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

Verbs, Constructions, Dialects, Subjunctives

CalifJim

#486748 Sun, 09 Mar 08 07:36 PM

Instructor1955
Talking with my American colleagues at work,they were all saying the verb recommend is always followed by an infiniteve verb with "TO". For Example :" The Ddoctor recommended him to ~~loose~~ lose weight "

What's your opinion?

Your American colleagues speak a strange variety of American English. ~~I recommend them to stop giving grammatical advice!~~ I recommend that they stop giving grammatical advice!

You can advise someone to do something, but can neither recommend nor suggest someone to do something, in my opinion.

In fact, you may hear recommend someone to do something, or even see it in writing, but it doesn't strike me as correct.

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (16,966)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

American English, Verbs

Kooyeen

#486780 Sun, 09 Mar 08 11:12 PM

CalifJim
You can advise someone to do something, but can neither recommend nor suggest someone to do something, in my opinion.

Then Longman wins again, and Oxford loses! Interesting... There are a lot of strange things and advice in those dictionaries. Wink

Kooyeen

Verbs

Avangi

#486844 Mon, 10 Mar 08 03:31 AM

CalifJim
You can advise someone to do something, but can neither recommend nor suggest someone to do something, in my opinion.

I second Jim's advice based on 70 years of American conversation.

Avangi

Joined on Mon, Nov 19 2007

Senior Member (3,289)

". . . le plaisir delicieux et toujours nouveau d'une occupation inutile." - Henri de Regnier

Verbs, Conversations

Yankee

#486852 Mon, 10 Mar 08 03:45 AM

I thought I'd already posted a reply in this thread. Hmmm, I must have forgotten to hit the 'post' button. At any rate, my reaction was exactly the same as CJ's. However, I've heard a rumor from a handful of Brits that the infinitve version is sometimes used in the UK. I have no idea how widespread it might be, however.

My East Coast (US) preferences for the word recommend would be 'recommend+what is being recommended' -OR- 'recommend+that+pronoun/noun+subjunctive':

- I recommended the ABC Hotel to him. (or possibly: I recommended staying at the ABC Hotel.)
- I recommended that he stay at the ABC Hotel.

Yankee

Verbs, Nouns, Pronouns, Subjunctives

CalifJim

#487062 Mon, 10 Mar 08 04:59 PM

Yankee
I thought I'd already posted a reply in this thread. Hmmm, I must have forgotten to hit the 'post' button.

No. You're not going crazy, Yankee! Instructor1955 posted the same question twice. (I wish people would stop doing that -- or if it's a system problem, I wish they'd fix it.)