Tag Archives: language functions

Making Suggestions in English - FREE Video Lesson

Making Suggestions in English – FREE Video Lesson

Learn the correct language for making suggestions in English with Ina from InEnglish:

Target language:

  • Can I make a suggestion?
  • Why don’t you + verb?
  • How about + gerund? / How about you + verb?
  • Have you tried + gerund?
  • Maybe you should + verb?
  • Maybe you could + verb?

I asked Ina about making suggestions and giving advice. Here is what she told me:

1. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ignored?

Honestly? Not working at weekends after becoming self-employed. I kept telling everyone I had to work every day so as to make more money and keep the clients. What I was overlooking was that it actually undermined my work-life balance. Fortunately, I did listen to that piece of advice in the end!

2. What is the worst piece of advice you’ve taken?​

Well, I once trusted a GPS app with finding the shortest route down the volcano Teide on Tenerife. It led me and my husband down a steep path with nothing to hold on to but volcanic rocks which were sharper than knives. Luckily, we were fit enough to cope with the descent, but that day we decided we would never trust an app over an official guide again.

3. Do you like giving advice? Who do you give advice to? Has anything amazing happened as a result of your advice?​

I don’t really like giving unsolicited advice, and even when asked, I do my best to be as diplomatic and careful as possible, wary of the consequences it may lead to. However, drinking more water and eating more fruit and veg won’t do any harm!

4. What learning strategies do you recommend for students of the English language?​

I’m a devout believer in the power of imitation and in-depth analysis. I think that the best results are achieved by listening to natural speech (on YouTube, BBC, Learn English Online by the British Council, interviews, series, films), but be sure to choose a video or podcast with subtitles. I would suggest working extensively with all the grammar and vocabulary you encounter by looking everything up in a dictionary, exploring the various meanings, the synonyms, the collocations, etc. After that, you could try listening again and imitating the speaker’s pronunciation. Have you tried a technique called shadowing? I highly recommend you do.

5. What do you suggest a person reading this does right now?​

Just take a deep breath. Mastering a language takes a lot of time and energy. If I were you, I would find what I enjoy most, be it talking to people, watching series, or reading comic books, and I would do it as often as possible. In the long run, it’s the consistency that matters. If you keep going long enough, you’ll get there!

Making suggestions in English

Making suggestions in English


Why not use the questions from this lesson to practice English in a discussion class, or by writing your own answers to these questions:

  1. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ignored?​
  1. What is the worst piece of advice you’ve taken?​​
  1. Do you like giving advice? Who do you give advice to? Has anything amazing happened as a result of your advice?​​
  1. What learning strategies do you recommend for students of the English language?​​
  1. What do you suggest a person reading this does right now?​

Learn more English with Ina here:

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR_wQzNy2yT37htULe4O8g

Website: https://www.inenglishblog.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/in.english.inamez/


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