Recommend

[olegv]

Please explain me the following. Murphy's grammar explains that "recommend" can be used with verb+object+to. His example is "I wouldn't recommend anybody to stay in the hotel". Another grammar book says that "some verbs, like consider and recommend, are followed by to-infinitive only when used in the passive or with an OBJECT PRONOUN.". My question is whether I can use a noun in such a structure. Many thanks

 

[Khosro]

Please explain me the following. Murphy's grammar explains that "recommend" can be used with verb+object+to. His example is "I wouldn't recommend anybody to stay in the hotel". Another grammar book says that "some verbs, like consider and recommend, are followed by to-infinitive only when used in the passive or with an OBJECT PRONOUN.". My question is whether I can use a noun in such a structure. Many thanks

I checked out my dictionary and some online dictionaries and I did not come across a sentence which contradicts what you quote from "Another grammar book". Murphy's example also is with a pronoun (anybody). It's interesting, I never knew it might be such a limitation for "recommend" use.

 

[TheParser]

Please explain me the following. Murphy's grammar explains that "recommend" can be used with verb+object+to. His example is "I wouldn't recommend anybody to stay in the hotel". Another grammar book says that "some verbs, like consider and recommend, are followed by to-infinitive only when used in the passive or with an OBJECT PRONOUN.". My question is whether I can use a noun in such a structure. Many thanks

***** NOT A TEACHER *****



The very authoritative A Comprehensive Grammar of the English

Language appears to sanction the use of a noun.

It gives this example:

I told/advised/persuaded Mark to see a doctor.

It then lists other verbs that fit this pattern, including recommend.

On the other hand, Modern American Usage (a respected book but

one that many people feel is too old-fashioned) plainly states:

"recommend never takes a direct object followed by an infinitive."

It says that "He recommended his students to read Gibbon [a famous

historian]" is wrong. It should be "He recommended to his students that

they should read all of Gibbon."

The book says that you "recommend somebody" only for a job.

 

[Barb_D]

"I wouldn't recommend anybody to stay in the hotel".

I cannot quote a grammar book but as a native speaker I would never say this.

 

[Khosro]

I cannot quote a grammar book but as a native speaker I would never say this.

Raymott has the same opinion, i.e. not only "object" but also "object pronoun" is not suitable here. I personally like to use them between "recommend" and "to + infinitive" :-D but perhaps I have to revision some of my lingual habbits. The following is the link to a thread which contains Raymott post. olegv has sure read it already.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/140318-vs-ing-2.html

 

[Khosro]

Please explain me the following.

You shouldn't say:"explain me" as far as I know. You could say:"Please explain the following to me". It follows the same structure as "recommend".