Could
you please tell me if this use of suggest is grammatically
correct?
The boss suggested we left early yesterday.
Thank
you in advance for your answer.
Roger
Woodham replies:
It
is perfectly correct, Julie. You could also say:
The boss suggested (that) we leave early.
The boss suggested (that) we should leave early.
All these forms are possible with little or no difference in nuance,
although the subjunctive form, suggested we leave, is a touch
more formal.
suggest
/ insist / demand / recommend
Suggest
is one of those verbs of advice that cannot be followed by the more
usual pattern of object + infinitive but has to be followed
by a that-clause with should + infinitive or with
past, present or subjunctive form verbs.
Insist,
demand and recommend (among others) also follow this
pattern, but other verbs that suggest that something is desirable
or necessary or important follow the object + infinitive
pattern. Compare the following:
I
asked him / told him to stop phoning me.
I implored him / begged him to stop phoning me.
I insisted / demanded that he should stop phoning
me.
I insisted / demanded that he stopped phoning me.
I insisted / demanded that he stop phoning me.
Everyone
urged her to continue with her education for a further
three years.
Everyone advised her to continue with her education for
a further three years.
Everybody recommended that she should continue with her
education for 3 more years.
Everybody recommended that she continued with her education
for 3 more years.
Everybody recommended that she continue with her education
for 3 more years.
Even her granny recommends that she continues with her
education for 3 more years.
important
/ desirable / essential / vital / imperative
These
adjectives, when they are used to express similar ideas, are also
followed by a that-clause with should + infinitive
or with present, past or subjunctive form verbs:
It
is vitally important (that) you should take this medication
night and morning.
It is vitally important (that) you take this medication
night and morning without fail.
It
was desirable (that)she should go to a school where
Italian was taught.
It was desirable (that)she go to a school where
Italian was taught.
It was desirable (that) she went to a school where Italian
was taught.
In
examples like these, you can avoid a that-clause, if you
wish to, by using a for + object + infinitive construction,
which sounds slightly less formal:
It
is important for you to take this medicine twice a day.
It was considered desirable for her to attend a school
where Italian was taught.
the
subjunctive
The
subjunctive is a special kind of present tense which has no -s
in the third person singular and where the same forms are used in
both present and past situations when we want to sound slightly
formal. The verb to be has a special subjunctive form, see
below:
The
school governors insisted that he resign from his post
as deputy head immediately.
They suggested that Mrs Giddy be appointed as deputy head
on a temporary basis:
"We propose that Mrs Giddy be appointed as deputy
head until the end of the school year. It is of vital importance
that she be present at the interviews when other teachers
are selected."
The
doctors recommended that my father remain in hospital for
a further five days and that he return to work only when
fully fit.
Note
that do is not used in negative subjunctive
sentences:
They
advised that he not return to work until fully fit.
If
you would like more practice more please visit our in the You, Meand Us part of our
website.
