Usage of the verb suggest

[Learner]

Hi Torsten/Alan!

I have a question about the verb "SUGGEST".

According to the English Grammar you can use the verb suggest in these following patterns:
Jane suggested that I (should) buy a car.
Jane suggested that I bought a car.

but never use it in this pattern:
Jane suggested me to buy a car.
What do you suggest us to do?

Is it a big mistake in speaking language? I am sure I've heard this construction a lot.

Thank you for your attention!

[Torsten]

Dear Learner, You are definitely on the safe side if you use the verb 'to suggest' the way your dictionary suggests. (just a little pun) To me, the object pronoun (me, him, us, them...) after 'suggest' sounds rather strange.
Let's see what Alan says...
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[Learner]

So you are suggesting that I should use it this way?


ok.. let?s wait for Alan's reply

thank you!

[Alan]

Hi Learner,

On the matter of 'suggest' I support both Torsten and your grammar book. The examples that you give of 'suggest' + direct objects are not acceptable. When you think about what the word actually means, it should make more sense. You can therefore 'ask/request/tell/' someone to do something because there is a direct connection between the 'asker' 'requester' and 'teller' and the object. At the same time you can 'offer/agree/promise' TO do something' But when it comes to 'suggest' there is an indirectness about the act of 'suggesting' and that is why we have this construction: 'suggest (that) someone does something' It's not necessary to use 'should' or 'that' in the sentence. So we have this sort of use in the following sentences:

As it was a sunny day, I suggested we went for a swim.
I can see you're not well and so I suggest you see a doctor

Remember also that 'suggest' can be used with the 'ing' form of another verb as in this sentence:

Nobody knew what to do until at last someone suggested GOING there by taxi

Hope this helps,

Best wishes

Alan
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[Learner]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for your explanation! Yes, it helped a lot!

Thank you both, Alan and Torsten. Really fast replies!!

[MyFriendIsAGoat]

[Alan]

Hi,

Is it almost 5 years since I wrote that! Anyhow, back to the question about the difference. After suggest (that) we use the so-called mandative subjunctive asking for a particular action and this is also true for similar verbs like: order/propose/require/recommend and so on. Your question is about why present subjunctive and why past subjunctive. In the first example 'suggest I see' there is perhaps an immediacy and the speaker is thinking: Well, that's probably a good idea, I really must think about it. In my example 'we went for a swim' the speaker is putting forward the idea of a swim on the basis of: 'I don't really mind if we do or don't, it's up to you.'

Alan
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[MyFriendIsAGoat]

Thanks Alan!
If I understood right, these sentences must be correct:
- It was raining and I suggested we shelter ourself in the tent.
- My friend and I had nothing to do so I suggested we went shopping.

[Alan]

Well done to us both!

Alan
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You can read my ESL story Phrasal Verbs/take

[Sergey]

Mr Alan, sorry for the disturbance first of all.
Could you help a little?

I've seen your topic about using 'suggest' and I'm being confused after that.

As I know (from "English grammar in use - intermediate') we've got 3 cases of using this word:

1. I suggest going.
2. I suggest you go.
3. I suggest you should go.

But according to you we can say 'I suggest we went', can't we?
Or it depends on the time form of the 'suggest'? e.g. 'I suggested we went'? Or I must've mixed something up...

Could you explain all possible cases more thoroughly? I's really going to help! Thanks a lot!

[Alan]

Hi,

The last example 'I suggest we went' is not exactly what I wrote. I wrote 'I suggested'. The form 'went' is an example of the subjunctive or unreal past.

Alan
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[Sergey]

well, what is the difference between "I suggest we go" and "I suggested we went"?

[Yankee]

Hi Sergey

In American English, it would be typical to say both "We have nothing to do, so I suggest we go shopping" AND "My friend and I had nothing to do so I suggested we go shopping".
"I suggested (that) we go shopping" is basically reported speech, but the present rather than the past subjunctive is typically used in AmE:

Direct speech = "Let's go shopping." / "Why don't we go shopping?" /"I think we should go shopping." / "I suggest we go shopping."
Reported speech = She suggested that we go shopping.

Direct speech = "I think you should go home and get some rest." / "Why don't you go home and get some rest?"
Reported speech = She suggested (that) I go home and get some rest.
.
.
In American English the use of the past form of a verb after "suggested" would be more likely when a suggestion is not specifically reported speech. For example, you might find it in a narration of events in the past:

- Talking about the present:
The clouds that I can see in the distance suggest that it is going to rain.

- Talking about the past:
The clouds that I could see in the distance suggested that it was going to rain.

- Talking about the present:
That suitcase next to the door suggests he is leaving.

- Talking about the past:
The suitcase next to the door suggested he was leaving.

Or the past form of a verb might be used after "suggested" when certain expressions are used:

Direct speech: "Don't you think it is time you headed home?"
Reported speech: She suggested it was time I headed home.
.
.

This site also provides information about the subjunctive:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-subjunctive.htm

[Lost_Soul]

Hi, Amy

Very interesting.
If I understood you correctly, if I put forward an idea (say, in the past), I have to put it this way: It was a sunny day and I suggested we go for a swim (and never went), right ?

But if I want to use "suggest" in the sense of "to mean", I would say something like this: Her scolding me suggested I had to do the dishes myself

Thank you !

[Yankee]

Hi Alex

Yes, that is the sort of usage tendency I've heard everywhere I've ever lived in the US.

A sentence such as "She suggested we went swimming" sounds weird to my American ears. It sounds as if it might mean something similar to "It was her opinion that we had (already) gone swimming."
.