How to Make a Suggestion in English

It is often helpful to speak out your suggestions confidently when sharing your thoughts or thinking of other ways, be it deciding on a place for dinner with friends, brainstorming in the office or working things out with teammates.

This guide consists of twelve great sentence starters. Use these starters and you will never again lack ideas what to say about your proposals and plans since all the relevant collocations and grammar structures are included here.

You should not only learn how to make casual and formal suggestions but also know how to introduce them effectively even if they may surprise your audience at first. Before they dismiss anything quickly, it’s important that they get the full view of what you mean.

The training also covers widely used English phrasal verbs and combinations.

12 Effective Sentence Starters for Engaging Ways to Make Suggestions in English

Casual Ways to Initiate Suggestions

Let’s

Example: “Let’s try that new Thai restaurant people are talking about.”

Example: “Let’s consult with the accounting department first before we decide anything.”

Example: “Let us reschedule so as everyone can attend.”

Structure: Let’s + base form of the verb

How about

Example: “How about that new Thai restaurant?”

Example: “How about a movie this Saturday?”

Example: “How about a drive into the mountains for some days?”

Structure: How about + noun phrase

Formal Ways to Begin Suggestions

Shall we

Example: “Shall we try out that newly opened Thai restaurant which has been highly rated by some friends?”

Example: “Shall we discuss with accounting before deciding on it?”

Example: “Should everyone reschedule their meetings so as they don’t clash time-wise?”

Structure: Shall we + base form of the verb

Why don’t we/you

Why don’t we try this new Thai restaurant?

When suggesting someone else should do something, you might say, “Why don’t you check with the accounting department?”

Structure: Why don’t + subject + base verb form

Suggesting Using Modals Like Could, Should, and Would

5 & 6: Could or Should

Example: “If you need to get into shape, you could try yoga.”

Example: “We should put off the product release until next week.”

With ‘could,’ there is a choice among many.

‘Should’ implies a stronger recommendation.

Would you consider

Example: “Would you consider getting a second opinion before your surgery?”

It’s a polite way of suggesting another perspective.

Have you thought about/considered

Example: “Have you considered seeking a second opinion?”

This phrase allows for all options to be considered.

Using ‘Suggest’ Verb

You may want to consider…

Example: “You may want to consider calling him by the end of the day.”

Example: “You may want to consider getting a second opinion before the surgery.”

Example: “You may want to consider dining at that new Thai restaurant.”

Structure: You may want to + gerund/noun

Encouraging Whole Attention on Surprising or Uncommon Suggestions

I’d like to float an idea……

Example: “I’d like to float an idea. What if we postponed the product launch until we had resolved all such issues? It might not seem ideal, but it could save us from any form of customer dissatisfaction.”

Listen up for a moment…..

Example: “Listen up for a moment. This might sound odd, but it could work.”

I know this is outside the box but what if….

Example: “I know this is outside the box, but what if we delayed launching it by seven days?”

Now you are going try your hand at these structures! Choose two or three examples from this guide and work on coming up with your own suggestions. Make sure you post yours in the comments below and comment on those of your peers.

Lastly, which example from above interested you most? Was there any specific sentence starter, or expression that worked extremely well? Kindly share your thoughts down below.

Alternatively, you can ask questions or make comments as my feedback is always appreciated!