suggestion idea could should might possible possibility chance reply assist demand invite invitation apply application advise advice hint recommend propose
phrases
could you please…?
Would you mind…?
If there a chance you could …
How about…?
Is it ok to…?
Why don’t we/you…?
Is it possible to..?
I have a suggestion…
May I make a suggestion?
i/we could always …
perhaps we / you should..
put forward an idea
take a chance
wait and see
take a hint
put forward a proposed
make a recommendation
strongly recommend
beginner
A:Hi. Could you give me a hand with this report?
B:Sure. I’d be happy to give you some hints and advice.
A:Thanks. Would you mind taking a look at the layout? Do you think it’s appropriate? I want it to be formal, but not boring to look at.
B:It looks good to me. I would suggest that you put the client’s logo and our logo on each page. The bosses seem to like that.
A:That’s an excellent suggestion. I can easily do it on the computer.
B:Why don’t you use a different font the headings? They’ll be more distinct.
A:I’ll take that suggestion too. How about the content?
B:I think you’ve included all the essential things. You might want to make the conclusion a little longer. Restate your reasons clearly.
A:Is it OK to include the pictures?
B:Definitely! I would include one or two on each page if possible. Remember that you should make the report as eye-catching as possible.
A:Thanks for those ideas. I’ll get to work on them right away.
A:你能帮帮我完成这份报告吗?
B:当然。我将很高兴给你一些提示和建议。
A:谢谢。看一下布局好吗?你认为它是合适的吗? 我想要考虑是正式的,但不是令人厌烦的。
B:在我看来还不错。我建议你把客户的标识和我们标志加到每一页。老板似乎喜欢这一点。
A:这是一个很好的建议。我用电脑可以很容易做到。
B:你为什么不使用不同的字体的标题?他们将变得更加明显。
A:我会考虑这一建议。对报告内容又如何?
B:我想你已经包括了所有重要的东西。你也许要作出结论稍微长了。重申你的理由清楚。
A:里面加进图片好不好?
B:肯定好!我想可能的话在每一页有一两张图片。记住,你应该把报告作得尽可能引人注目。
A:感谢你给我那些建议。我将立刻着手办理他们。
Intermediate
A: hello. How was the marketing meeting?
B: hi. It was awful. I think I put forward some great ideas, but none of them were accepted.
A: I’m surprised to hear that. I thought you had some very good suggestions.
B: So did I. I ran the ideas by a few people before the meeting and the ideas seemed to have the supports of some people.
A: So what happened in the meeting?
B: One or two people didn’t take to my ideas very well. That was to be expected. The worst thing was that the people who said the ideas were good before the meeting didn’t support me during the meeting.
A: I wonder why not. We could always revise the suggestions, to take into account any objections.
B: That’s good advice, but I’m not confident that even revised proposals will be accepted.
A: may I make a suggestion?
B: sure. I’m open to any reasonable suggestions.
A: Is there a chance you could contact the client confidentially and see what they think? If they like your ideas, perhaps they could put them forward as their own proposals. You won’t get credit for the ideas, but the client will know they were yours.
B: I’m not sure that’s a good idea.
A: Go on. Take a chance. You could just hint at your idea. The client should be smart enough to take a hint.