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Cho7712 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
recommend
I've been looking through some posts which cover the use of verb 'recommend'. And the majority of teachers said,
recommend + object + to-infinitive is at best unnatural.
And the oxford online dictionary shows this use with an example;
recommend someone to do something
Passengers are recommended to arrive at the airport early.
? What factors(semantic features or..) of the verb recommend make you think that recommend with the object being followed by to-infinitives is not recommendable or ungrammatical?
And what is the difference among these three forms,
recommend + (that) + subject + bare form of verb ...
recommend + object + to-infinitive
recommend + gerund
ex. I recommend that you see a counselor.
I recommend you to see a counselor.
I recommend seeing a counselor.
? Are three of them the same in meaning?
recommend + object + to-infinitive is at best unnatural.
And the oxford online dictionary shows this use with an example;
recommend someone to do something
Passengers are recommended to arrive at the airport early.
? What factors(semantic features or..) of the verb recommend make you think that recommend with the object being followed by to-infinitives is not recommendable or ungrammatical?
And what is the difference among these three forms,
recommend + (that) + subject + bare form of verb ...
recommend + object + to-infinitive
recommend + gerund
ex. I recommend that you see a counselor.
I recommend you to see a counselor.
I recommend seeing a counselor.
? Are three of them the same in meaning?
Top answer
1. Often in English, all that can really be said about a use is that it sounds wrong. " I recommend you to see a counselor" just sounds wrong, at least in my dialect.
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- Often in English, all that can really be said about a use is that it sounds wrong.
- " I recommend you to see a counselor" just sounds wrong, at least in my dialect.
- Perhaps the false scent laid by the first part is what does it.
- "I recommend you to" in standard English sets up something like "I recommend you to everyone I meet", meaning that I sing your praises.
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4 Answers
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1. Often in English, all that can really be said about a use is that it sounds wrong. " I recommend you to see a counselor" just sounds wrong, at least in my dialect. Perhaps the false scent laid by the first part is what does it. "I recommend you to" in standard English sets up something like "I recommend you to everyone I meet", meaning that I sing your praises.
2. The remaining two are
2. The remaining two are
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Thank you for the answer,
According to your example, recommend is impossible to co-occur with an agent-object.
Then, this might be the matter of use between British English and American English, though I also agree with your answer.
According to your example, recommend is impossible to co-occur with an agent-object.
Then, this might be the matter of use between British English and American English, though I also agree with your answer.
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Afterthought: What is wrong with "I recommend you to see a counselor" is that the "to" sounds like a mistake of using the full infinitive to this American's ear. I suspect that the subjunctive mood is so much more alive here than it is in Britain that here it sounds like a mistake for "I recommend you see a counselor."
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Thank you for the answer.
Then I'd better not risk using to-infinitive version.
Then I'd better not risk using to-infinitive version.
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