10 Mistakes People Make Giving Advice — Easy English Conversation

Transcript

Introduction

A: Can I give you an advice?

B: Of course — and here’s my first piece of advice: don’t say “an advice.”

A: Ha. Okay, what did I do wrong?

B: Yesterday we practiced asking for and giving advice. Today we’re fixing ten mistakes people make with it — small ones, but people notice them.

A: Listen for a piece of advice, advice or advise, suggest plus -ing, If I were you, and You’d better. We’ll cover five more corrections too.

B: You can practice today’s phrases in Recursio — link in the description.

A: Let’s fix my first sentence.

The word “advice”

B: Number one is the mistake you just heard. “Can I give you an advice?”

A: And the problem is “an.”

B: Yes. In English, “advice” is uncountable — like “information” or “furniture.” So no “a” or “an,” and no number in front of it. You can say “some advice,” or just “advice.”

A: But what if I want to talk about one idea?

B: Then you say: a piece of advice. “Can I give you a piece of advice?” “My dad gave me a great piece of advice.”

A: So “a piece” makes it countable. “Two pieces of advice.”

B: Exactly. In everyday speech, “some advice” is more common: “Can I give you some advice?” “A piece of advice” is nice when you want to focus on one specific idea.

A: And the plural? “He gave me a lot of advices.”

B: Same mistake, same family. Because “advice” is uncountable, there’s no “advices.” It’s “a lot of advice,” “some good advice,” “much advice” in a question or negative: “I didn’t get much advice.”

A: And the verb is singular. “This advice is useful,” not “these advices are useful.”

B: Perfect. “Your advice was really helpful.”

A: Number two looks almost the same.

B: It does. “Can you advice me?” Here the learner needs the verb. The verb is advise, with an S. The noun is advice, with a C.

A: And they sound different too.

B: Yes. The noun ends with an S sound: ad-VICE. The verb ends with a Z sound: ad-VIZE. “I advise you to wait.” “Thanks for the advice.”

A: So “Can you advise me?” is correct?

B: It’s correct, but it’s a bit formal. In conversation, people usually say “What do you think I should do?” or “Can I ask your advice?” You’ll hear “advise” more from doctors, lawyers, and banks: “We advise customers to change their password.”

Advice verbs

A: What about this? “My friend made me a good advice.”

B: First, say “some good advice” or “a good piece of advice.” Second, use “give,” not “make.” You give advice, and you get advice, or take it.

A: “She gave me some good advice.” “I took his advice and waited.”

B: Exactly. “Take someone’s advice” means you do what they said. And if you don’t: “I didn’t follow her advice.”

A: And what’s a useful pattern for asking?

B: Learn “ask someone for advice”: “I asked my teacher for advice.”

A: But yesterday we said “Can I ask your advice?” — no “for.”

B: Right. You can also ask for someone’s advice directly: “ask your advice,” or “ask my teacher’s advice.” Those are natural too.

A: So: “ask your advice” or “ask you for advice.” Both work.

B: Both work. Number three is a big one for many learners: “He suggested me to take a taxi.”

A: I’ve definitely said that.

B: Lots of people do, because in many languages the structure works like that. In English, “suggest” doesn’t take that pattern. You can say “He suggested taking a taxi,” or “He suggested that I take a taxi.”

A: “I suggest leaving early.” “I suggest that we leave early.”

B: Exactly. And if you want a person after “suggest,” use “to”: “Can you suggest a good restaurant to me?” But for an action, use -ing or “that.”

A: Number four is in the same family: “I recommend to book early.”

B: Here, use “I recommend booking early,” or “I recommend that you book early.” Some dictionaries also accept “recommend someone to do something,” with a person before “to.” But don’t use “recommend to book” on its own.

A: “I recommend that you book early.” “I recommend booking early.”

B: Perfect. And with a thing, it’s easy: “Can you recommend a good dentist?”

A: Quick tip before we go on. These patterns are easy to mix up. Save them in Recursio so you can review them later.

Advice grammar

B: Number five: “If I would be you, I would wait.”

A: Too many “woulds.”

B: Exactly. In this kind of sentence, the “if” part doesn’t take “would.” It’s If I were you, and then “I’d” in the other part.

A: “If I were you, I’d wait.”

B: Yes. You’ll hear “If I was you” in casual speech too, but “were” is the standard form and the safest choice in writing.

A: Number six. “You should to call her.”

B: After “should,” there’s no “to.” “Should” is a modal verb, like “can” and “must,” so it goes straight to the base verb: should plus a verb.

A: “You should call her.” “You shouldn’t worry.”

B: Perfect. Be careful with “ought to,” though — that one does have “to”: “You ought to call her.” But “ought to” is less common in American conversation. “Should” is the everyday word.

A: And “have to”? “You have to call her” has “to.”

B: It does. “Have to” usually expresses necessity, so it sounds stronger than ordinary advice. We’ll come back to strong words in a moment.

A: Number seven. I’ve heard learners say, “Better you take an umbrella.”

B: Yes, that’s a direct translation from several languages. In English, it’s You’d better: “You’d better take an umbrella.”

A: And “‘d” is “had.” “You had better.”

B: Right, even though it’s about now or the future. But here’s the important part: “You’d better” is strong. It often means “or something bad will happen.” “You’d better leave now, or you’ll miss the train.” “You’d better not tell Mom.”

A: So it’s more like a warning.

B: Often, yes. With a boss or a stranger, it can sound like a threat. For friendly advice, “You should,” “I’d,” or “You might want to” are safer.

A: And the strong words you mentioned?

B: Number eight: “You must to check the time.” Like “should,” “must” goes straight to the base verb. Say “You must check the time.”

A: No “to.” And “must” is stronger than “should,” right?

B: Usually. “Must” often expresses something necessary. But in “You must try this cake!”, it’s an excited recommendation. The situation matters.

A: What’s number nine?

B: “I propose you to leave early.” When you mean “here’s my advice,” use “suggest”: “I suggest leaving early,” or “I suggest that you leave early.”

A: Is “propose” always wrong?

B: No. “I propose a new plan” is correct. But it’s more formal. For everyday advice, “I suggest” is a useful choice.

A: And number ten?

B: “What do you think to do?” If you’re asking for advice, say: “What do you think I should do?”

A: “I have two job offers. What do you think I should do?”

B: Exactly. Don’t confuse it with “What are you thinking of doing?” That asks about someone’s plans.

Saturday coffee

A: Let’s put them together. It’s Saturday morning, ten o’clock. We’re having coffee, and I tell you about my week.

B: So? How was the first week at the gym?

A: Hard! But my trainer gave me a really good piece of advice.

B: Oh? What was it?

A: She suggested starting slowly. Twenty minutes, three times a week. And she recommended that I drink more water.

B: That’s good advice. Did you take it?

A: I did. But my brother has a different opinion. He says I should go every day.

B: Every day? If I were you, I’d listen to the trainer. She’s the expert.

A: That’s what I thought. He also told me, “You’d better not skip leg day.”

B: Ha! That’s a warning. Brothers love giving advice.

A: Too much advice. I didn’t ask him for advice!

B: Well, I have one more piece of advice for you.

A: Go on.

B: You must try the new smoothie place next to your gym. It’s amazing.

A: Okay — that’s advice I’ll take.

At work

B: Now a scene at work. Let’s go back to Wednesday, at the office. A new coworker, Sam, asks me for advice about his first presentation.

A: And I’m Sam?

B: You’re Sam. Go ahead.

A: Hi. Can I ask your advice? I’m presenting to the client on Friday, and I’m really nervous.

B: Sure. What’s the problem?

A: My manager gave me some advice yesterday, but it was a lot of information. She suggested practicing in front of the team first.

B: That’s a good idea. When?

A: Tomorrow at four. She also recommended that I keep the slides short. Ten slides, not thirty.

B: I agree with her. If I were you, I’d cut the numbers and keep only the important ones. The client can read the details later.

A: Should I learn the whole thing by heart? What do you think I should do?

B: I suggest that you learn the first minute well. You should know how to start. After that, it’s easier.

A: And what about questions? I’m worried someone will ask me something I don’t know.

B: Then say, “That’s a good question. Let me check and get back to you.” Nobody expects you to know everything.

A: Okay. Any other advice?

B: Just one. You’d better test the projector before the meeting. Last month it didn’t work, and the client waited fifteen minutes.

A: Fifteen minutes? Okay, I’ll go in early on Friday.

B: Good. And you must try the coffee machine on the third floor. It’s much better than ours.

A: Ha. That’s the most important advice so far.

B: So, what did you hear? “Can I ask your advice?” is one natural pattern. “Some advice,” not “an advice.” “Suggested practicing,” “recommended that I keep.” “If I were you, I’d.” “You should know,” with no “to.” “You’d better” for the projector — a warning. And “must” for the coffee, because I’m excited about it.

A message to fix

A: One more short scene. My cousin wrote me a message, and he wants to check his English. I’ll read it, and you help me fix it.

B: Okay, read it.

A: “Hi! Thank you for your advices. They were very useful. You suggested me to apply for the job, so I did. Now I need one more advice. If I would be you, I would ask about the salary. Do you think I should to ask?”

B: Okay… let’s fix it together. “Thank you for your advices. They were” —

A: “Thank you for your advice. It was very useful.”

B: “You suggested me to apply” —

A: “You suggested applying for the job,” or “You suggested that I apply.”

B: “One more advice” —

A: “One more piece of advice.”

B: “If I would be you, I would ask” — careful, he means himself here. What’s he really asking?

A: Oh. He means, “If you were me, would you ask about the salary?”

B: Exactly. Or simply, “What would you do?” Then “Do you think I should to ask?” —

A: “Do you think I should ask?” Wow. Five mistakes in a short message.

B: Five fixes. Read the corrected message once, so you can hear how it flows.

A: “Hi! Thank you for your advice. It was very useful. You suggested applying for the job, so I did. Now I need one more piece of advice. If you were me, would you ask about the salary? Do you think I should ask?”

B: Much better. And my answer to him: “Yes, you should ask.”

Practice

A: Here’s how it works. Answer out loud in the pause, then listen to one possible answer. First one: how do you offer one helpful idea to a friend, using “piece”?

B: Can I give you a piece of advice?

A: “Advice” is uncountable — so “a piece of advice,” not “an advice.”

B: Your friend helped you a lot with your problem. How do you thank her, using the noun “advice”?

A: Thanks for the advice.

B: “Advice” with a C and an S sound — the noun.

A: Your coworker thinks you should leave early because of the snow. How do you report her advice with “suggested” and an -ing verb?

B: She suggested leaving early.

A: “Suggest” plus -ing — not “suggested me to.”

B: Your friend wants to buy an expensive phone. How do you suggest waiting for the sale, using “If I were you”?

A: If I were you, I’d wait for the sale.

B: “Were,” not “would be,” in the “if” part.

A: Your friend is tired. How do you suggest taking a break, using “should”?

B: You should take a break.

A: No “to” after “should.”

B: Your friend’s train leaves in ten minutes, and he’s still at home. How do you warn him to hurry, using “better”?

A: You’d better hurry.

B: “You’d better” — strong, because something bad could happen.

Outro

A: Today’s ten: a piece of advice, advice or advise, suggest plus -ing, recommend that you, If I were you, should plus a verb, You’d better, must plus a verb, I suggest that you, and What do you think I should do?

B: Start with the one you say most often. For many learners, that’s “an advice.”

A: On Monday, Mira and Tess are back with Present Perfect or Past Simple.

B: Until then, open the link below and practice them in Recursio.

A: See you in the next one — and that’s a good piece of advice.