How to Use the Verb Suggest

Last Updated: February 16, 2023

The word “suggest” is a verb. A verb is an action word - it tells what the subject in the sentence is doing. In this case, the verb “suggest” means to provide an idea or convey a thought to be considered. The word comes from an old Latin word meaning “to prompt.” Start with Step 1 below to learn how to use the verb "suggest" in a grammatically correct manner.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using “Suggest” in a Sentence

1
Choose the subject of your sentence. The subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing or idea that is doing the action. To begin your sentence, choose who or what will be doing the suggesting.
- People are the most likely types of nouns to suggest something, as they frequently convey thoughts or ideas through language. Choose a person's name to use in an example sentence using the word suggest, such as "Sally".
- But what other kinds of nouns work with the verb suggest? Sometimes, things can be suggestive. For instance, “evidence” is often used in coordination with “suggest,” as in, “The evidence suggests the dog ate his homework.”
- Other nouns might not work as well; for instance, you might have a hard time making a sentence with “drinking glass” as the subject and “suggest” as the verb, as it's difficult for a glass to suggest something (though not impossible).
2
Next, add in the verb. After you have chosen the subject of your sentence, it's time to add the verb "suggest". In general, a verb is a word that expresses an action, feeling or a state of being. You will need to conjugate the word "suggest" depending on the subject.
- In our example, the subject "Sally" is a third person singular noun. The third person singular form of “suggest” is “suggests,” so your sentence will read “Sally suggests.”
- If the subject of your sentence was in first person singular, such as "I", you would use the first person singular form of the verb, which is simply "suggest". In this example, your sentence would read "I suggest".
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3
Include the direct object. The direct object of a sentence is the thing that the verb is being done to. It can be a noun, pronoun, phrase or clause. In relation to the verb "suggest", the direct object is the thing that is being suggested.
- To find the direct object of your example sentence, ask yourself what Sally is suggesting? If you can answer that question, you've found your direct object. For instance, maybe Sally is suggesting ice cream for dessert.
- In this case, “ice cream” is the noun that becomes the direct object. Add this direct object to the end of the sentence, after the verb "suggests“. This forms the sentence: "Sally suggests ice cream for dessert.”
4
Learn how to structure your sentence when the direct object is an entire phrase. Sometimes, the direct object is a bit more complicated, when a verb phrase or clause acts as a noun.
- For instance, if Sally suggested going to eat ice cream, the sentence would sound like this one: “Sally suggests we go eat ice cream.”
- In this case, the direct object is the whole clause, “we go eat ice cream” because Sally is suggesting that whole idea; therefore, the whole idea is acting as one noun. This makes it a direct object. ^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Following Grammar Rules

1
Change the form of the word "suggest" depending on which pronoun is used. Sometimes a pronoun is used instead of a noun. A pronoun is a replacement for a noun, such as "you", "we". "it", "he" or "she".^{[2]
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- When using “I” or “You” in its singular form, pair it with “suggest,” such as “I suggest picking flowers,” or “You suggest it to the group.”
- When using “We” or “You” in the plural form, you also pair it with “suggest.” For instance, the sentence could be “We suggest a different color,” or “You (all) suggest eating out.”
- In fact, the only time you use the form “suggests” is with third person singular, such as in the "Sally" example above or when using “he” or “she.” The third person plural “they” uses “suggest” rather than “suggests.”
2
Change "suggest" to "suggested" in the past tense. A past tense verb tells your reader (or listener) that the action happened in the past, rather than right now. The past tense of “suggest” is “suggested.”
- If you made a suggestion to your boss yesterday, you could say, “I suggested it to Rob yesterday, but he didn't like the idea.”
- Keep in mind that “suggested” is the past tense no matter whether the noun or pronoun is first, second, or third person or whether it is singular or plural.
3
Change "suggest" to "will suggest" in the future tense. Like past tense, the future tense is all the same for “suggest.” Future tense tells your reader that the action will happen in the future. The future tense for “suggest” is “will suggest”, no matter whether you are using first person singular (“I”) or third person plural (“they”).
- If your girlfriend wants to make a suggestion in a meeting tomorrow, she might say, “I will suggest that idea tomorrow.”
- Additionally, if you want to tell someone else what your girlfriend is going to do, you can say: "she said she will suggest that tomorrow.”

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Understanding the Word "Suggest"

1
Know the meaning of the word "suggest". “Suggest” is the verb form of “suggestion.” When you make a suggestion, you offer an opinion.
- The word “suggest” is similar to the word "demand", in that they are both putting forth a request. However, “demand” is a very strong word; when you demand something, you are not giving the person you are talking to much of a choice. You are willing them to do something.
- The word “suggest”, on the other hand, is more of a request. You want your idea to be heard, but you are not requiring that it be fulfilled. When you suggest to a group that you go for ice cream, you are hopeful that you will be able to go, but you are open to other thoughts and ideas.
2
Understand how the word "suggest" works within the structure of a sentence. “Suggest” is a transitive verb. Therefore, a sentence containing the word "suggest" must have a subject, the verb “suggest,” and a direct object.
- All sentences must have a subject. A subject is a noun or a pronoun, which is a person, place, thing, or idea. A pronoun stands in for a noun; it is a way of referring to something without saying the same word over and over again. Examples of pronouns include "he", "she", "it" and "they".
- All sentences must also have a verb. Whereas the noun or pronoun does the action, the verb is the action; i.e. it tells what the noun is doing.
- Some verbs are called transitive verbs, which means they must have a direct object. A direct object is also noun or pronoun. However, this time, the action is happening to the noun, rather than performing the action.

Community Q&A

Question

"Please suggest the following IDD call made from your phone." Is this correct?

Donagan

Top Answerer

That doesn't quite make sense. "Suggest" means to make a recommendation. It's not clear what you're trying to say here. Maybe you mean "explain."
Question

How do I write a sentence using an action verb with the suggested topic of a severe storm?

Donagan

Top Answerer

A severe storm flooded our town yesterday.
Question

What does "suggest" mean in the following sentence? "Could you suggest someone to advise me how to do this?"

Donagan

Top Answerer

"Suggest" is used to mean "mention the name or position of."

Warnings

The verb suggest is never followed by an infinitive.

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The verb suggest is never followed by an indirect object pronoun (such as me, us, or you).

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