Learning English Grammar Making suggestions
Feb 24, 2026
Georgie, a concise grammar expert, explains language usage and politeness strategies for making suggestions. The conversation covers phrases like "might I suggest", using past continuous to soften proposals, when "got to" sounds strong, and how "let's" works for positive and negative suggestions. Short examples and practice moments make the tips easy to follow.
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Dogs And Cats Programme Planning Exchange
- Becca and Neil plan a Dogs and Cats programme and discuss making it different from others.
- Neil suggests talking to a vet and Becca counters with might I suggest approaching an experienced vet to get richer stories.
Past Continuous Softens Suggestions
- Using a past continuous (I was thinking) creates distance and makes suggestions sound more polite.
- Georgie explains the form is past continuous plus the clause, as when Neil said I was thinking that we should do a programme about dogs and cats.
Use Got To For Strong Suggestions
- Use got to not only for obligation but as a strong suggestion when you want to emphasise something.
- Georgie points out Neil's we've got to talk to a vet is a strong suggestion, not a literal rule.