Recommend somebody something

Question

Hello TeachersOxford WordPower Dictionary gives an example below for "recommend".     [1] Could you recommend me a good hotel in Paris?On the other hand Longman Dictionary of Common Errors says that [2] is OK but [3] is no good.     [2] (o) I recommend a walk along the Seine.     [3] (x) I recommend you a walk along the Seine.I feel the WordPower and the LDCE contradict each other about the usage of 'recommend'.Is the sentence #3 really wrong? Could you give me your opinions?paco

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

My opinion is that [1] is wrong.  Perfectly understandable, but wrong.  I agree with Longman.

Khoff · Answer

And I agree with Jim.  Is it possible that there is a British/American difference in usage here?

Paco2004 · Answer

Hello CJ and Khoff

Thank you for the quick answers. I did a Google search study about the usage of 'recommend'. For example, "Can you recommend a good X?" hits 301,000 pages, whereas "Can you recommend me a good X?" hits only less than 1000 pages. And it seems the latter expression is not common among British people. So I too am now coming to believe you two and the Longman are right.

However I found the Genius E-J dictionary (one of the most authoritative bilingual dictionaries in Japan) also says that the verb "recommend" can be ditransitive and can take either of SVO-to-O and SVOO constructions. It gives examples as below.
They recommended the bookstore to Mary.
They recommended Mary the bookstore. (Rather BrE, according to the dictionary)
Furthermore the dictionary says that those sentences can be passivised as follows.
Mary was recommended the bookstore.
The bookstore was recommended to Mary.

Do you think all what this E-J dictionary is saying about 'recommend' is weird?
paco

Khoff · Answer

"They recommended the Mary the bookstore" sounds weird to me, and "Mary was recommended the bookstore" sounds even weirder!

This reminds me a little of a usage of "substitute" which drives me crazy, although my dictionaries do say it is a legitimate possibility. When I use the word substitute, for instance in a recipe, I would say "you can substitute apples for pears," meaning if you don't have any pears you can use apples instead. But some people say "you can substitute pears with apples" to mean the same thing (I would say "you can replace pears with apples"). When I see "A can substitute with B" I never know which is which. Okay, it's not very much like the "recommend" question, but now that I've typed it all out I'm going to leave it here. Sorry!

CalifJim · Answer

but now that I've typed it all out I'm going to leave it here

Hoooo Eeeeee! And LOL. That made my day! I know the feeling!

MrPedantic · Answer

Paco2004
Hello Teachers

Oxford WordPower Dictionary gives an example below for "recommend".
[1] Could you recommend me a good hotel in Paris?
On the other hand Longman Dictionary of Common Errors says that [2] is OK but [3] is no good.
[2] (o) I recommend a walk along the Seine.
[3] (x) I recommend you a walk along the Seine.

I feel the WordPower and the LDCE contradict each other about the usage of 'recommend'.
Is the sentence #3 really wrong? Could you give me your opinions?

paco

#1 and #3 sound odd to me too.

MrP

Davkett · Answer

Paco2004 They recommended the bookstore to Mary.
They recommended Mary the bookstore.

Mary was recommended the bookstore.
The bookstore was recommended to Mary.

I only hear people say 1 and 4

Paco2004 · Answer

Hello

Thank you for the comments.

I looked for the di-transitive use of 'recommend' in the Oxford English Dictionary and I found it indeed gives a quote below.
"Let me recommend you a little of this pike!" ("Vivian Grey" by Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli (1826), Book V, Chap XV)

The novel is published online as [url=http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/8vvgr10.txt]an e-book by the Gutenberg Project [/url]. And I am a bit surprised to find that 'you' is left out from the sentence above in the e-book version of "Vivian Grey".
"Now, Mrs. Fitzloom," said St. George, who was in his element, "let me recommend a little of this pike! Lady Madeleine, I have sent you some lamb."
paco

MrPedantic · Answer

Interesting. 572 googles for "let me recommend you a"; 13700 for "let me recommend a".

Confusion seems possible, on the part of the listener, before the 5th word:

1. Let me recommend you | a pike.

2. Let me recommend you | to Mr Pike.

3. Let me recommend you | try a little of this pike.

MrP

WakeP · Answer

1) Can be rewritten: Could you recommend a good hotel in Paris to me? "recommend me" is not standard.

3) Could be "I recommend that you take a walk along the Seine."

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