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Home -
Grammar - Everyday Grammar - Making and Responding to Suggestions |
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| Making and Responding to Suggestions |
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 Making
and Responding to Suggestions
The lesson includes an audio program explaining this
grammar topic, the script for the audio program, a words in this story section,
and other important information. |
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this grammar
topic. Then read the following written information. |
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Making and Responding to
Suggestions |
Imagine that you haven’t seen a good friend in a month.
In a telephone call, your friend tells you she would
like to get together for dinner but can’t think of a
restaurant to go to. So, you offer an idea.
Listen to a short conversation:
I’d love to have dinner on Friday but I’m not sure
where.
How about we go to Chez Philip?
Great idea! I haven’t been there in over a year.
The phrase How about is one common way to make a
friendly suggestion in English. To make a suggestion
means to offer an idea or plan for someone to think
about.
You probably already know a few ways to make suggestions
in English, using words such as could or should.
But, on this Everyday Grammar program, we’ll talk about
common phrases you can use for making friendly
suggestions. We use many of these phrases in question
form.
How about…?
Let’s start by talking a little more about the phrase
How about.
When you ask a question using How about, you are asking
someone if they agree with what you are suggesting.
There are two structures for using this phrase. The
first is:
How about + subject + simple verb form
Let’s listen to the first example again:
How about we go to Chez Philip?
In this example, the subject is we, and the verb is go.
The second structure for using How about is:
How about + gerund
Listen:
How about going to Chez Philip?
In this example, the subject is still we, although is
not directly stated. Instead, the subject is implied.
And, going is the gerund form of the verb go.
You can also use How about + gerund to make a suggestion
for an action that does not involve you. For example:
How about starting a group for English learners?
What about…?
The phrase What about is very similar to How about.
You can replace the phrasing How about + gerund with
What about + gerund to express the same meaning. For
example:
What about going to Chez Philip?
However, What about + gerund is less common in American
English than in other types of English.
Something that English learners will notice is that
native English speakers often leave out both the subject
and verb when we use What about and How about to make
suggestions. Listen:
How about Chez Philip?
What about Chez Philip?
Why don’t..?
Why don’t is very similar to How about and What about.
The difference here is that we ask the question using
the negative don’t.
The structure is: Why don’t + subject + simple verb form
Let’s hear our example again, but this time with Why
don’t:
Why don’t we go to Chez Philip?
Why not..?
Why not also uses the negative not. But this phrase is a
little different from the other phrases. It is usually
used to make more general suggestions. Advertisers often
use Why not for selling products or services.
The structure is Why not + simple verb form
Listen:
Why not treat yourself to a Caribbean holiday?
In this example, the subject is you, but it is not
directly stated. And, the verb is treat.
Shall…?
Using Shall is another way to make a suggestion.
However, it sounds a lot more formal and is more common
in British English than American English.
The structure is: shall + subject + simple verb form
For example:
Shall we go to Chez Philip?
One thing to note when using Shall to make suggestions:
it is only used with the subjects I and we. We would not
say, Shall you to offer an idea.
Let’s…
Sometimes, suggestions are expressed in statements
instead of questions, such as with the phrase Let’s.
Let’s is a contraction for the words let us. It is used
to tell someone what you want to do with them.
The structure is Let’s + simple verb form
Listen:
Let’s go to Chez Philip!
In this sentence, the subject is us.
So, how do you respond to friendly suggestions? You can
either accept or decline.
Accepting
A few phrases for accepting a suggestion are:
That’s a good/great idea!
That sounds good/great.
Perfect!
Thanks! I’d love to.
Declining
A few phrases for declining a suggestion include:
I’d prefer…
That’s a good idea but…
I’m not sure.
When you decline a suggestion, you may want to then
politely suggest something else. For example:
I’m not sure. Chez Philip is not my favorite. How about
Fearless Farmers?
Making and responding to suggestions in English takes
practice. But it’s one of the more fun things you can do
with a classmate, friend or family member.
You can also practice in our comments section. Try using
a few of the phrases you learned today to make a
friendly suggestion.
I’m Alice Bryant.
Alice Bryant wrote this story for VOA Learning English.
George Grow was the editor. |
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Words in This Story |
-
conversation – n.
an informal talk involving two people or a small
group of people
- gerund
– n. an English noun
formed from a verb by adding -ing
- imply
– v. to express
something without saying or showing it plainly
- negative
– n. a word or
statement that means “no” or that expresses a denial
or refusal
- formal
– adj. suitable for
serious or official speech and writing
- prefer
– v. to like something
better than something else
-
contraction – n.
the act or process of making something smaller or of
becoming smaller
- decline
– v. to say no to
something in a polite way
- polite
– adj. having or
showing good manners or respect for other people
- practice
– v. to do something
again and again in order to become better at it
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Grammar Tips |
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An audio lesson to
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Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
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A video lesson to
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The English is
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Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
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