Suggest me ...

[cisamcgu]

I have seen quite a few threads with the title of "Suggest me a ...<insert thing here> ... "

Is this correct English - I read it and it makes me uncomfortable, but I cannot really see what else it should be other than a rewording

"Suggest me a saddle" --> "Suggest a saddle for me"

After a bit of searching I found this ..

"Suggest me" is correct only if "me" is a direct object.
i.e. My friends always suggest me as the spokesperson of the group.


Any thoughts ?

 

[Arch]

I'd say "Suggest a...... for me" or "Recommend me a...."

At a pinch, maybe "Suggest to me a...." which sounds a bit over-formal and old fashioned.

You're right, I think.

 

[ASC1951]

After a bit of searching I found this ..

"Suggest me" is correct only if "me" is a direct object.
i.e. My friends always suggest me as the spokesperson of the group. Any thoughts ?

Yes, that's wrong. "Suggest me.." is perfectly acceptable and correct, albeit a fairly modern usage.

If you want an old example, there is "Riddle me no riddles" - King Lear, if memory serves. And how about "buy me a book", "Sell me a bicycle" etc? In the inverse version you buy a book for someone, but both in spoken and written English it is correct to omit the preposition when the verb, indirect object and direct object are in that order.

 

[cisamcgu]

hmmm...I see what you mean but

Buy me a book - this sounds fine to me, but suggest me a book still sounds clunky and wrong

Oh well, perhaps I am just getting old

 

[Arch]

hmmm...I see what you mean but

Buy me a book - this sounds fine to me, but suggest me a book still sounds clunky and wrong

Oh well, perhaps I am just getting old

I'm getting old too then!

It does sound clunky, but I suppose that doesn't make it wrong....

 

[Fnaar]

Then there's "Cry me a river" by either Julie London or Justin Timberlake

 

[ASC1951]

I'm getting old too then!

It does sound clunky, but I suppose that doesn't make it wrong....

That's both of us, Arch. I think it sounds clunky only because it's fairly new - advert-speak, originally? - and I assume we'll get used to it, because it's exactly the same grammatically as other everyday usages.

 

[coffeejo]

APOSTROPHES!

*takes a deep breath*

Or should that be:

APOSTROPHE'S!

*take's a deep breath*

 

[cisamcgu]

APOSTROPHES!

*takes a deep breath*

Or should that be:

APOSTROPHE'S!

*take's a deep breath*

Sorry if I made an apostrophe mistake, I do tend to scatter them widely when using initials .. PM's, ATM's, CPU's etc... but I'm not sure I have made one in this thread - but I am often wrong

 

[coffeejo]

Sorry if I made an apostrophe mistake, I do tend to scatter them widely when using initials .. PM's, ATM's, CPU's etc... but I'm not sure I have made one in this thread - but I am often wrong

Lol, wasn't aimed at anyone, just in general.

I feel better now

 

[JtB]

Instead of "Suggest me a ...", I'd use "Suggest to me a ..."

 

[Shaun]

Just drop the me ... "Suggest a book" ... "Suggest a sport"

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Just drop the me ... "Suggest a book" ... "Suggest a sport"

Damn, I knew that it didn't sound right but I spent ages unsuccessfully trying to think of a better way of saying it. Simplest is best

 

[JtB]

I'd say "Suggest a...... for me" or "Recommend me a...."

But would you really want forum members to "recommend you", as you might want someone (e.g. your boss) to "recommend you" for a promotion? I suspect instead that its some product or other (not you yourself) that you would want recommending. So instead of saying "recommend me a book", surely you should say "recommend a book for me" as its the book (not you yourself) that you want recommending. Similarly instead of saying "suggest me a book", surely you should say "suggest a book for me" as its the book (not you yourself) that you want suggesting. Alternatively you could say "recommend for me a book" or "suggest to me a book".

Just drop the me ... "Suggest a book" ... "Suggest a sport"

Hope I don't get banned for not agreeing 100% with Admin, but "suggest a book" is not quite the same as what "suggest me a book" is trying to say. "Suggesting a book" is a general suggestion, but for whom?