@mouser:"We recommend you to not perform this action" does not sound natural in (American) English, but perhaps it would sound better to say "We recommend that you do not perform this action."
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-mouser
That's what my English teacher would probably have recommended as the correct use of English in this case, but it might be regarded as being pedantic to insist on using "that" in modern usage - particularly in American usage, I would have thought. When I remember to do it, I would generally use "that" when I am writing, anyway, as it would seem to be more specific, which could reduce any potential ambiguity. However, when writing a negative (do not do this thing) instruction in (say) a Help file, I would suggest the passive form, taking out the 3rd person plural "We":
This action is not recommended, or (say)
This action is not recommended unless/except etc. (which
@cranioscopical seems to be hinting at - i.e., there may be an implicit conditional
"if" statement that is not spelled out).
However, it seems that, in common American usage, the verb
"recommend" is often followed by an infinitive verb with "to".
Examples:
- "The man recommended to take the next turning on the left."
- "The man recommended him to take the next turning on the left."
- but what about: "The man recommended
taking the next turning on the left."?
A dictionary does not always help:that
· pron. & det. (pl. those)
1 used to identify a specific person or thing observed or heard by the speaker. Ø referring to the more distant of two things near to the speaker.
2 referring to a specific thing previously mentioned or known.
3 used in singling out someone or something with a particular feature.
4 informal, chiefly Brit. expressing strong agreement with something just said: ‘He’s a fussy man.’ ‘He is that.’
5 [as pron.] (pl. that) used instead of which, who, when etc. to introduce a defining clause, especially one essential to identification.
· adv. to such a degree. Ø [with neg.] informal very: he wasn’t that far away.
· conj.
1 introducing a subordinate clause.
2 poetic/literary expressing a wish or regret.
– PHRASES and all that (or and that) informal and so on. like that informal instantly or effortlessly. that is (or that is to say) a formula introducing or following an explanation or further clarification. that said even so. that’s that there is nothing more to do or say about the matter.
– ORIGIN OE thæt, nominative and accusative sing. neut. of se ‘the’, of Gmc origin.
Concise Oxford Dictionary (10th Ed.)
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recommend
· v.
1 put forward with approval as being suitable for a purpose or role. Ø advise as a course of action. Ø advise to do something.
2 make appealing or desirable.
3 (recommend someone/thing to) archaic commend or entrust someone or something to.
– DERIVATIVES recommendable adj. recommendation n. recommendatory adj. recommender n.
– ORIGIN ME: from med. L. recommendare, from L. re- (expressing intensive force) + commendare ‘commit to the care of’.
Concise Oxford Dictionary (10th Ed.)
Different dictionaries and other English references seem to give conflicting recommendations, and opinions differ.
Your American colleagues speak a strange variety of American English. I recommend them to stop giving grammatical advice! I recommend that they stop giving grammatical advice!
You can advise someone to do something, but can neither recommend nor suggest someone to do something, in my opinion.
In fact, you may hear recommend someone to do something, or even see it in writing, but it doesn't strike me as correct.
From: https://www.englishf...Forms/zxrnm/post.htm
Of course, it's not just Americans on this forum and so the correct English usage for this case could probably be endlessly debated!
