To become proficient in a language, you need to be able to handle yourself in a variety of situations, including giving recommendations and advice in English. There are many situations, both in everyday life and at work, in which we have to give suggestions or make recommendations. To do this, we can use a variety of expressions, depending on whether we want to be gentler or more insistent and whether it is a formal or informal situation. Don't miss our guide to tips for giving advice!
7 keys to giving advice in English
1) Tips with modal verbs
Two essential verbs for giving advice in English are should and ought to. The italy phone number list should be used with the infinitive without to , while the latter is the infinitive in its full form. For example:
You shouldn't eat that much chocolate.
You ought to eat more vegetables.
Another very useful modal verb for giving advice is could . Its great advantage is that it sounds polite and is not very aggressive. For example: You could take the trousers to the dry cleaners in the corner – they are good, cheap and fast .
2) Advice with empathy: If I were you…
The expression If I were you is very useful to put ourselves in someone else's shoes and tell them what we would do. Remember that this is a conditional and therefore the following clause goes with would + infinitive without to . Also, in this case we use were instead of was . Examples:
If I were you, I would start saving for a trip now.
If I were you, I would visit my aunt more often.
3) Advice through questions
You know that the English are very polite, so much so that they sometimes prefer to express things indirectly. This is the case of advice through questions, a way of making the other person consider the idea you propose without taking it personally. Therefore, it can be very useful for work situations. For example:
Tips for giving advice in English
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