M - This episode is going to be about... ADVICE and SUGGESTIONS! C - Marta, why do we have to talk about advice and suggestions? I suggest you explain why? M - I know, I know, you, native speakers kinda take it for granted, but to us learners it's not easy. We need to know how to build the sentence according to the verb we use and we need to be aware of the shades of meaning that each verb and expression conveys. C - You're right, our listeners could be confused about how and when to use the verbs to SUGGEST, to RECOMMEND or to ADVISE, just to mention the most common ones. M - Yeah, for instance I always have this sort of doubt : what do I have to use? 'Gerund or infinitive?' this is the question. It's not 'to be or not to be?', my dear friend William Shakespeare, you SHOULD rewrite it, William, trust me, it OUGHTA be 'Gerund or infinitive?!'. C - True! But let me say that in addressing Sir William Shakespeare, Marta, you NEED TO be more formal and polite. M - Was there anything wrong with what I said ? C - It was grammatically correct, you used “should” and “oughta” -that is a slang word, a contraction of ought to- , but when speaking with someone like William Shakespeare YOU'D BETTER say something like this instead: “With all due respect, Sir, if I were in your position, I would change that sentence”. Marta, try that sentence again. M - All right, all right. ‘’With all due respect, Sir, if I were in your position, I would change that sentence’’. How was that? C – Perfect, beautiful. M – Okay, so far we have 'you should' 'you ought to' 'you need to' 'IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD...' and 'you'd better'- that is you had better. C - Now let's talk about “to recommend” and “to suggest”. M - First off, there is a difference of meaning, right? C - To recommend means telling someone what you think the right thing to do is according to your experience or knowledge, while to suggest means to give an idea, to offer some further possibilities to a matter. M - Ok, let's give our listeners a few examples to show them how to use these verbs. Cindy, could you recommend a good language podcast? C - Marta, I’m so glad you asked! I recommend 'my American friend’! M - I agree with you, I've been told it's a good one... C - Ok, now listen to this: I recommend listening to 'my American friend'. Or: I recommend that you listen to 'my American friend'. M - All right, so we can use this verb in three different ways. To recommend doing something, to recommend something, and to recommend that you do something. How about “to suggest “? C - Same three structures. For example: I suggest that you listen to 'my American friend' while jogging in the park. M - Mmm, good idea! C - Or: I suggest listening to 'my American friend' while driving in your car on long journeys (we're going to prevent you from falling asleep!). M - Yeah, definitely! May I also suggest our Facebook page to our listeners? C - Good idea! And by the way, friends, do you know that we are on Twitter as well? Our account is mAf_podcast M - Ok, let me try this one: I suggest that you follow us on Twitter. Was that correct? C - Perfect, Marta, you're not just a beautiful face! You’re a quick learner too! M - Thank you! So, now we know how to MAKE A RECOMMENDATION and how to MAKE A SUGGESTION. C - Great. ok. now what about learning how to GIVE ADVICE or to GIVE A PIECE OF ADVICE to someone? M - That's a good point, advice is uncountable, so if it's singular it's a piece of advice. C - You usually give advice if you have some authority to do so, for example if you're a lawyer counseling your client, a mother talking to your children, or a doctor talking to a patient, and so on. M - So advise has a stronger meaning compared to recommend. C - Well, let's compare these sentences to make it clear. Let me think....ok, let's talk about the soundtrack of our podcast. What's the name of the band ? M - 'The Fire' C - Ok, if I say 'I suggest listening to The Fire' the meaning is: I like their music and I think you could enjoy listening to it as well. M - So it's like : why don't you give them a try? C - Yes, but it would sound different if I said : 'I went to a concert and I saw The Fire live, their performance was absolutely amazing, they blew me away, so I recommend that you check them out.' Which, by the way, is like totally true! M - Ok, in this case you talk from experience. C - Right. Third example : imagine a band manager. And this band manager wants to inspire his young rock n’ roll wannabes to play better and learn how to perform onstage. He would say : 'I advise you to go see The Fire in concert.' M - He's the manager, he's giving a piece of advice that could be important for the future success of the band. C - Right. Or an English teacher, for example, could advise her students on the right English language podcast to listen to. M - Oh, let me guess, would that be … 'my American friend'? C – Excellent idea! So, you can advise someone on something and you can advise someone to do something. You can also advise against something. M - But not against our podcast!! C - Of course not. For example, my mother advised me against drinking and driving. M - Right, and listeners in case you missed our episode #3 about driving, I recommend that you download it immediately. C - And in case you didn't miss it, I suggest listening to it again, repetition is imperative when studying a foreign language. M - And I advise you to always read the transcripts. *** C - Now, Marta, we'd better take some time in order to thank a lot of people. M - Definitely. C - Our podcast has had more than 10.000 downloads in less than 4 months with no promotion at all, just word-of-mouth. M - It's unbelievable! C - And we want to send out a big thank you to all our treasured listeners around the world for your continued encouragement, positive energy and support. A very special thanks to those who have contacted us or commented on our episodes on podomatic.com, on our facebook page, on Twitter, on martainnocenti.com, and on iTunes. M - I'm going to mention a few of you, and please forgive me if I mispronounce your names : thank you Reza, Alice, Muhammad, Sergio Leon, Sung Gyun, Parisa, Mehdi & Laura. C - And also thanks to Jorge, who suggested talking about phrasal verbs, we will certainly do that soon. And one more thing: if you're on facebook, show us how you listen to your podcast. Take a picture of yourself with your laptop, iPod, or cell phone showing our logo and upload it onto the wall of our facebook page! M - And remember : we are open to suggestions for new podcast topics! C - And you know how to make suggestions now, don't you? M - Yeah! New episodes are coming very soon. Stay tuned! C - Bye! ******************************************** to TAKE SOMETHING FOR GRANTED : 1. To consider as true, real, or forthcoming; anticipate correctly. 2. To underestimate the value of. EXAMPLE: My husband takes for granted that his dinner will be ready every evening when he arrives home from work. WORD OF MOUTH : without any kind formal promotion or advertising, spread only through one person talking to another. EXAMPLE: In New York City, the reputation of a new restaurant spreads quickly through word of mouth. to PREVENT SOMEONE FROM DOING SOMETHING : To stop a person from carrying out an action. This could be for many reasons like jealousy or competition, or for the benefit of someone's personal safety. EXAMPLE: For fear of hurting himself, the grandmother prevented the small child from climbing onto the table. EXAMPLE: My workmates are very jealous people and do not want me to succeed at my job! They will do anything they can to prevent me from moving up the corporate ladder! Let's sum up : - 'you should' - 'you ought to' (oughta) - 'if I were you, I would...' - 'you'd better' (=you had better) - to make a suggestion, to suggest To suggest doing something, to suggest something to suggest that you do something - to make a recommendation , to recommend To recommend doing something, to recommend something to recommend that you do something - to give advice, to give a piece of advice, to advise To advise someone on something, to advise someone to do something To advise against something ******************************** our soundtrack : THE FIRE (rock band) www.thefiremusic.com www.myspace.com/thefirerock www.facebook.com/pages/The-Fire/44318637834
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