Is it correct to say "to suggest to someone that they should do something"?
Found in "Advanced Trainer, Six Practice Tests with Answers" by Felicity O'Dell and Michael Black, Second edition, Cambridge University Press and UCLES 2015, page 145:
Why does Erica talk about her cousin? (multiple choice,
- answer A: to suggest to Ross that he should not overreact)
I looked up the verb "suggest" in different dictionaries (Longman Dictionary Of Contemporary English, Oxford Online Dictionaries, Collins Cobuild Dictionary, Cambridge Online Dictionares) but could not find this structure:
to suggest to someone that they should do something
The structure closest to it that I have found is "a simpler explanation suggested itself to me" (Oxford Dictionaries Online)
Best Answer
Yes, it is correct to say "to suggest to someone that they should do something".
"Suggest" is a monotransitive verb. It takes a direct object.
Here the that-clause is the direct object of the verb "suggest". "Me" is the object of the preposition 'to'.
(NOT, "They suggest me that he should do it.")