Making suggestions

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. This is not the future we were promised. Like hell that out for a tagline for the show. From the BBC, this is the interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology is actually doing to your work and your politics, your everyday life. And all the bizarre ways people are using the internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Our podcast series of his English is back with weekly episodes to help you improve your English at work. Learn useful phrases to boost your career in English, from setting goals to using small talk to apologising when things go wrong. Follow the learning English for work podcast to listen or visit BBCLearningEnglish.com. So Becca, I was thinking that we should do a programme about dogs and cats. I think that's a brilliant idea. I wanted to do a programme about dogs and cats for a long time. But let's not do what everyone else is doing. Hello and welcome to Learning English Grammar. I'm Piffa. And I'm Phil. We've just heard Becca and Neil talking about the next programme they want to make. And I was thinking that today we could look at different ways to make suggestions. Great idea. Let's do that. Now, you can read along with this podcast using the transcript on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. So Phil, I was wondering what we should do after this programme. Let's not waste any time. Let's write the next one. Hmm, might I suggest that we focus on getting this one finished first? Yes, sure. Now, let's listen to Becca and Neil talking about their dogs and cats programme idea. See if you can hear how they each make suggestions. So many producers go straight to pet owners. So what can we do? That's a bit different. Well, I think we've got to talk to a vet. Because vet spend all their lives with animals, they must have a million stories. Yeah. My tie suggests that we approach a vet who's got quite a bit of experience. Yeah, sounds like a good idea. So I heard Neil suggest making a programme about dogs and cats. And I also heard him suggest talking to a vet. That's probably a good idea. Do you know any vet's, Pippa? I do know a vet, actually. But I was going to suggest that you and I feel speak to someone else. Someone who can tell us more about the language here. Someone suggested I come and help you. So here I am. Yes, can you give some ways to make suggestions? Sure. There are quite a few different ways of doing this in English. Now we often make suggestions in an indirect way. And one way to do this is to use a past tense. So, Becca, I was thinking that we should do a programme about dogs and cats. I was thinking. It's in the past and it's continuous. This is to create a bit of distance to make the requests seem more polite. Now we can say I was thinking or I was thinking that, followed by the clause. Georgie, I heard Neil say we've got to. Isn't that usually used for obligation? Hmm. Well, we can use got to for obligation. But sometimes we're actually using it to make a strong suggestion. It's not an obligation. There's no rule to make Neil talk to a vet. He just thinks it would be a good idea. And Georgie, I heard Becca making a negative suggestion using "lets". Yes, so we often use "lets" for suggestions. And it also works as a negative. So instead of saying "let's do something different", Becca said "let's not do what everyone else is doing". The meaning is very similar. How we have a look at the expression "myt" I suggest. Myt suggests that we approach a vet who's got quite a bit of experience. Yes, myt I suggest is a nice little fixed expression. This is just two colleagues talking. But it could be used in more formal situations. Notice that Becca used the present simple after suggest that. Myt I suggest that we approach a vet who's got a bit of experience. Thanks for that Georgie. That's really helpful. We've got some useful expressions for making suggestions. Bye guys. Okay Phil, let's play a game to practice what we've learned. I'm going to give an instruction and you have to turn it into a suggestion. And as you're listening to this, see if you can make a suggestion before Phil does. Are you ready? Yes. Okay, first one. Make this programme more fun. I was thinking of making this programme more fun. Yes, that's right. Okay, another one. Listen to lots of podcast. Myt I suggest that we listen to lots of podcasts. That's right. And finally, don't forget to ask the rest of the team for help. Let's not forget to ask the rest of the team for help. That's right. What do you suggest we make a programme about? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]. That's it for this episode. We learned that Becca wants to talk to a vet. And we learned that past senses can make suggestions more polite. We'll be back next week to learn some more grammar tips. In the meantime, you can test what you've learned in this episode with the worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now. Bye. Like hell that that for a tagline for the show. From the BBC, this is the interface. The show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.