Learn the 12 ways to give advice in English. This lesson is all about giving advice using popular English phrases for daily conversations.
Do you want to be more polite and fluent in English? Start using phrases native English speakers use to give advice in English. Boost your English vocabulary, start speaking like a native speaker, and feel confident in any situation.
Listen to the podcast Speak Better English with Harry or watch it on YouTube at Learn English with Harry. englishclass101
Phrases for giving advice
12 ways to give advice in English
Harry
In the advanced class today, we’re looking at English speaking. And in particular, we’re going to look at useful phrases that you can use for giving advice. Okay, so we have 12 of them. 12 useful phrases for giving advice.
I’ll go through them. And then I’ll give you some examples. And then we can pick up on them again. And at the end, I’ll give you our contact details, if you wish to get in contact with us. So all useful phrases, and how you can offer or give advice to somebody. So let’s give you a few examples.
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Isn’t it about time…
Isn’t it about time you got a haircut?
Isn’t it about time you got into some study?
Isn’t it about time you went to bed?
Have you thought about the possibility of…
Have you thought about the possibility of going away to university?
Have you thought about the possibility of working during the summer?
Have you thought about the possibility of changing your course?
The sooner you …, the better
The sooner you get down to doing some work, the better.
The sooner you contact those people, the better.
The sooner you call the client, the better. Explain to him what happened.
The sooner you do the more difficult jobs on your to-do list, the better. You’ll feel much better.
The sooner you start on the diet, the better you will feel long-term.
The sooner you start that new course of exercise, the better your back will feel.
12 ways to give advice in English
You might as well!
Meaning: what’s the alternative?
You might as well get the bus because it looks as if the car isn’t going to start today.
You might as well come home now because it looks as if your friends aren’t going to turn up.
We might as well go to bed because there doesn’t seem to be anything interesting on TV.
We might as well just go down the country for a few days. The airport is really busy these days.
Your only option is to…
Meaning: you have no alternatives
Your only option is to go to the boss and tell him that you made a mistake.
Your only option is to go to the teacher and tell her you lost the book.
Well, if you ask me, your only option is to go to the doctor and tell him you haven’t been feeling well.
You have no choice but to…
Meaning: there’s really no alternative
I think you have no choice but to call the police. This is not normal. Why would somebody be climbing over the wall when they can knock on the door?
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It might be in your interest(s) to…
It might be in your interest to do a pre-course before you start the new course.
It might be in your interest to let them know that you want this job.
It might be in your interest to take a few days off. Why don’t you relax a little bit?
You might want to…
Meaning: you think that the person might like to take a certain action
You might want to call him and tell him you’re going to be late. The traffic is really really heavy.
You might want to call into the supermarket on the way home and pick up some food. There’s nothing in the fridge.
You might want to consider taking a holiday in July. That new project is going to start in August.
You might want to consider taking an extra year in university. This is really getting on top of you. You’ve failed a couple of exams.
Make sure you (don’t)…
Make sure you do and make sure you don’t, it’s the same meaning but just in a slightly different way one in the positive and one in the negative giving somebody advice.
Make sure you turn off the lights when you leave the house.
Make sure you don’t leave on the lights before you leave the house.
Make sure you let the dog out in the morning.
Make sure you don’t leave the dog in the house all day without taking him for a walk.
Make sure you feed the goldfish but only once a week.
Make sure you don’t forget to feed the goldfish while I’m away.
Make sure you take those tablets. It says in the packet two a day with meals.
Make sure you don’t take too many tablets.
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Something is worth a try
Well, what harm can it do? It’s worth a try. It might not work, it might not succeed. But you know what? If you don’t try, you won’t know.
Sure. Go in and see, it’s worth a try. Why don’t you check it on the internet first of all? You might see it there.
It might/would be a good idea to…
It might be a good idea to think about it before you do it.
Don’t rush into it and do it immediately. It would be a good idea to check things out. Talk to your teacher.
It might be a good idea to check out the reviews on the Internet.
How about..?
A great informal way to start a bit of advice.
How about going out for a meal tonight?
How about going away for a few days? Just the two of you.
How about going for a cycle?
How about joining the gym? It will help in the long run.
How about improving your English? Why don’t you join one of my courses?
How about joining a book club? You love reading, and it’d be a good way for you to meet some new neighbours and some new friends.
12 ways to give advice in English
Okay, so 12 interesting ways in which you can give some nice advice in English. Whole-hearted advice, friendly advice, personal advice to somebody that you know.
So let me give them to you again.
- Isn’t it about time …
- Have you thought about the possibility of …
- The sooner you … the better.
- You might as well!
- Your only option is to …
- You have no choice but to …
- It might be in your interests to …
- You might want to …
- Make sure you (don’t) …
- …. is worth a try
- It might be a good idea to …
- How about …?
So all ways of using expressions to give advice. This is all about improving your English speaking.
As I said before, practise a few of them. Try and use a few of them today or tomorrow with your friends. You don’t have to remember them all. Some of them can be a little bit confusing at first, but just keep practising.
And if you have any problems, well, then you can contact me at www.englishlessonviaskype.com. If you need some more examples, I’ll gladly give them to you.
Join me again soon.
more information
For more information on English grammar rules, English collocations and English idioms, check out the links below:
English collocations with POWER
Better ways to say ANGRY in English
You can always study English advanced level at Learning English with the BBC and British Council Learn English.