Learn the Top 10 Ways to Give Advice in English
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You should learn how to whistle.
Advice!
I just gave you some advice!
Let’s go!
Hi everybody, and welcome back to Top Words.
My name is Alisha, and today we’re going to
be talking about 10 ways to give advice.
So, let’s get started!
I think you should…
The first expression is “I think you should…”
I think you should is a very neutral, not
so strong, not so weak way to give advice.
I think you should get a different haircut.
I think you should find a new job.
I think you should give me all your money.
Can’t hurt!
“I think you should” is a very typical
way to give advice, or just “I think…”
it’s okay, or “you should” is okay, too.
In this sentence, I think you should find
a new apartment.
Why don’t you…?
The second expression is “why don’t you…?”
So it uses the negative “why don’t you,”
so that means it’s a bit softer, it’s a bit
more of a weak way to give advice.
So, why don’t you take a day off?
Or, why don’t you help me with my homework?
That’s sort of a sneaky way to give advice
and ask for help at the same time.
Why don’t you, I don’t know, find a new hobby,
for example.
So these are kind of weak ways to give advice.
In this sentence, why don’t you get a pet?
Have you thought about…?
So “have you thought about…?”
It sounds like you’re giving your advice,
but this is a question for the listener.
So have you thought about…?
It’s at your, you’re sharing your opinion,
but you’re kind of making it sound like maybe
it was the listener’s idea, or maybe the listener
has thought of this thing before, so this
is also a fairly soft way to give advice.
So, like, have you thought about going to
a different city?
Have you thought about moving in with your
friends?
Something like that.
So these are probably going to be questions
that are a little bit more serious, like,
I don’t feel like we would use this for really
casual or really light questions, but maybe
for something a little more serious, and a
softer way to give advice in the sentence.
Have you thought about looking for a new job?
I don’t know if… is a good idea.
So this is kind of a negative way to give
advice or to share your opinion.
It’s “I don’t know if … is a good idea.
So you’re giving someone advice not to do
something.
So for example, I don’t know if getting a
pet is a good idea, or, I don’t know if starting
a new project is a good idea.
These are different ways that you can say
you don’t think or you think that the other
person should not do something, but this is
a soft way to express it.
In this sentence, I don’t know if taking a
year off work is a good idea.
Maybe you should try…
The next one is a suggestion to try something,
so this is a soft but kind of encouraging
expression, maybe you should try…
Maybe you should try…
So you are encouraging someone to attempt
something, to try something, maybe not forever,
but just for a short period of time.
So, maybe you should try volleyball.
Maybe you should try playing sports.
Maybe you should try spicy food.
Maybe you should try something, so it’s encouragement
to do something new, this is kind of positive
but it’s a fairly soft way to give your advice
here.
Maybe you should try studying a new skill.
I wouldn’t…
So again, we have this negative “I wouldn’t,”
I would not meaning, and I think we’ll talk
about this later, in my case, if this were
my decision, I would not…
So for example, I wouldn’t buy a new car if
I were unemployed.
I wouldn’t eat spicy food if my stomach were
very sensitive, for example.
In this case, I wouldn’t worry too much about
it.
If I were you, I would…
So in the previous expression, we used the
negative “I wouldn’t,” but in this expression,
we have the positive “if I were you, I would…”
So if I were you, which I’m not, but if I
were you, this is what I would do, so this
is my recommendation.
So if I were you, I would study every day.
If I were you, I would try to get enough sleep.
If I were you, I would cook dinner every day.
In this sentence, if I were you, I would look
for a new car.
Have you tried…?
The next expression, this is very similar
to “have you thought about…”
So, again, it’s a question for the listener
and it’s a suggestion for the listener, kind
of soft advice.
So, have you tried…
Have you tried something, so this is something
you can use to make a suggestion that people
should try.
So, have you tried wearing glasses?
Have you tried getting contacts?
Have you tried talking to your boss?
Oh, actually, that’s a good sentence, yeah.
Have you tried talking to your boss about
the problem?
It’s a small encouragement in that way.
My advice is to…
So this one is a very clear advice statement,
my advice is to so is to… and then there’s
some action you recommend for the listener.
So my advice is to stop eating sweets.
My advice is to take a trip, or take a vacation.
My advice is to get a dog.
Here we have the dogs again, I don’t know.
In this sentence, my advice is to get some
sleep.
So this is just a very clear very simple advice
phrase.
You ought to…
The next expression is “you ought to…”
So “ought to” means “should,” but “ought to,”
it sounds more formal, more polite, it’s not
used as commonly as others, but actually we
use the contracted form “oughta.”
So “ought to,” just like “want to,” can be
contracted to “oughta.”
So you oughta… you should do something.
So you ought to give your new co-workers a
try, very nice.
Or, you ought to get a new car.
You ought to get a new haircut.
You ought to go on a diet, for example.
So this one is not used quite as often as
the other expressions, but you may hear it
from time to time.
It sounds more formal, sounds more polite,
in most cases.
“You should” is perfectly fine but you might
hear “you ought to” or “you oughta.”
In this sentence, you ought to think about
your goals for the future.
That’s the end!
Okay, so those are ten ways that you can give
advice to people.
If there’s a different way that you have tried
to give advice or if you have any questions
about how to give advice, please be sure to
leave us a comment and let us know about it.
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of Top Words, and we’ll see you again soon, bye!
Me, what do I use the most?
I think I use “you should” the most, or
“I think you should…”
And I think I use “why don’t you..?”
I prefer kind of softer ways to give advice,
like, why don’t you…?
Or I use “why don’t you just…” as well,
like, just, I feel like it gives a little
simpler, it sounds like your suggestion is
very simple, like, oh, why don’t you just
send it to me in an email?
Or why don’t you just drink a beer with me?
It sounds like you’re really, like, it simplifies it.
It sounds like using “just” makes it sound
like my suggestion is a really small thing
to do it.
Using “just” sounds like it’s no big deal,
you can do it, it’s like, and why don’t you
just take a day off?
You know, so something like that.
So “I think you should” and “why don’t you…”
I think I used those the most.