[Grammar] The difference between 'suggest' and 'recommend'

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joe112358

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Hi all, I want to ask the difference between the usage of 'suggest' and 'recommend'.

As far as I know, both words can be used in the situation that someone wants to give certain advice to the other.

The rules I know about using 'suggest' are as follows. The original way of saying is 'sb. suggest that sb. should v.'(e.g. I suggest that you should work harder.), but usually 'that' and 'should' are omitted, which gives 'sb. suggest sb. v.'(e.g. I suggest you work harder.), while 'I suggest you to work harder.' is incorrect. (Please point out if anything is mistaken.)

Originally I thought the same held for 'recommend', but when I checked the dictionary I found a sentence stating 'I recommend you to comply with safety regulations', which contradicts what I know. I wonder why there's difference between the two when they are used for the same expression. Can anyone tell me the grammar rules here?

Besides, are there any other uasge things about the two words which are worth noting? Thank you very much.
 

Chicken Sandwich

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That's an odd sentence. Where did you find it? It's not correct to 'recommend (someone) to do something' according to Longman: Do not say ‘recommend (someone) to do something’. Say recommend doing something or recommend that someone (should) do something .

You could say:

I recommend (that) you comply with safety regulations.
 

Rover_KE

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Welcome to the forum, joe.:-D

Please look at the Similar Threads below.

Rover
 
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