Hello!!!
It’s about a week I asked an English teacher to check my essay. She said everything was ok, except for this sentence:
I strongly recommend you visit … blah blah
She said I should have written “I strongly recommend you to visit…”
But I really think it was all right, because we say
I recommend that you should visit OR I recommend you visit OR I recommend visiting OR whatever BUT NOT I recommend you to visit.
Am I right? If not, would you be so kind as to tell me why? Thanks!
Jana
Dear Jana,
As Alan pointed out yesterday you should take the diplomatic approach with your teacher and not argue with her. After all, these are rather minor things as language is constantly changing - English in particular.
Regarding your question - I also think that the verb ‘to recommend’ shouldn’t be followed by ‘to’.
You might also want to check this link: [url]http://poets.notredame.ac.jp/cgi-bin/wn?cmd=wn&word=recommend[/url][YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: A dancing troupe[YSaerTTEW443543]
Torsten,
thanks for your reply.
Firstly, I fully agree with both you and Alan - I would never argue with my teacher!!! In fact, I’m said to be a calm, obedient girl, ha ha, really… All in all, my teachers like me - except for my disturbing questions - and I like them very much - except for the situations when they don’t want to admit they’ve made a mistake!
Secondly, can I ask you how to handle the verb “insist”? Is it the same as recommend?
“I insist that you do something.” ??
And what about “insist on”? Can I say “I insist on (your) doing something”? This sounds a bit strange, though.
Thank you very much.
Jana
Dear Jana,
Please check this link - there are examples that show you how to use the verb ‘insist’: [url]http://poets.notredame.ac.jp/cgi-bin/wn?cmd=wn&word=insist[/url][YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: An exotic performer[YSaerTTEW443543]
Dear Torsten,
thank you very much!!!
That’s exactly what I need! Thanks a lot!
Jana
I recommend you to visit is correct as well as i recommend that you visit
Where do you get that idea, IanGabaretti.
As has already been indicated it’s generally not a good idea to use ‘recommend… to’.
Dear Beeesneees:
Raymond Murphy ‘English Grammar in Use’ 3d Edition.
UNIT 55:
Section C:
After advise,recommend and allow,two structures are possible. Compare:
1.verb and ING without an object:
I wouldn’t recommend staying in that hotel
2.verb and object and TO:
I wouldn’t advise anybody to stay in that hotel.
P.S. As you can see,I didn’t make it up.
I usually use “that” as a conjunction in order to introduce a new clause in a sentence but in such examples I rather say “I recommend you go.”
Could this be correct orientation? Thanks
But ‘recommend’ has not been used with ‘to’!
Murphy has used ‘advise’ with ‘to’.
You seem to have misunderstood.
Hi IanGabaratti,
You have raised a point that seems to have been buried on the site unchallenged for almost the last 9 years. In fact I can remember Jana posting that question in 2003. In your message you quote Murphy, generally regarded as a reliable source, in which he does actually state:
It is clear that he means that the two structures are possible with ‘recommend’. In fact the late, great L.G Alexander says the same with his example:
I can only imagine that in the message of 2003 both Torsten and I were more concerned about Jana’s attitude towards her teacher. So, well done for your persistence.
Alan
I have always regarded Murphy as one of the most eminent people in the field of the english language. I absolutely rely on his books and he has never let me down. Thanks for your support,mr.Townend) but for your words I would have begun to suspect Murphy of incompetence.
I agree with Beeesneees and (originally) Torsten: I do not like “recommend someone to do something”. However, it seems that opinions on this may vary.
Agreements/disagreements, variation in opinions and likes/dislikes concerning this construction - recommend+object+infinitive - don’t really have relevance as far as learners of English who post on these forums. The authorities already quoted (Murphy and Alexander and I could add Swan. McCarthy and Carter, not to mention BNC) give examples of this construction based on research of what is and has been acceptable. And it is that acceptability learners are surely anxious to know.
Do you have any examples of anything akin to
I wouldn’t recommend to stay
or
I wouldn’t recommend to do?
All the examples cited so far include changes to the word ‘recommend’.
I don’t quite follow - I am referring to recommend + object + infinitive.
The advertisement recommends ____ in that hotel as it is the cheapest in the town.
A) to stay
B) stay
C) staying
D) people stay
E) on TV viewers staying
(2003)
I chose C. Because there is no object. Am I right?
Thanks.
I would choose © too.
You could use (D).
In that case this is not proper test as nobody can choose answer with confidence.
I also want to mention that if there is any doubt about American/British English, we should incline to the British variant.