Recommend me...

[Zhaghzhagh]

Every time I read this on S & B I cringe, but I'm reading it so often now that I'm scared that I'm going to think it's normal and I might actually use it one day

I dont understand.. :(

Oh, I don't like this either. Surely it should be 'recommend to me' or 'advise me'?

Oh I think my grasp of English is not awful and I generally hate language misuse/Americanisms, but have no problem with this.

I think it's OK, as there is a well established pattern under which verbs which take both direct and indirect object can drop the preposition of the indirect object, depending on word order.

For example:

'give it to me' and 'give me it' are both correct, but 'give to me it' isn't

I suspect (not having seen the thread/s you mean) that it is part of the longer phrase 'recommend me an XYZ' which is correct. In other cases it could be 'recommend me to your employer' which is also correct.

"Recommend me a xyz" is NEVER correct. It's soooooooo wrong, I can't believe we're discussing it.

"Recommend me a xyz" is NEVER correct. It's soooooooo wrong, I can't believe we're discussing it.

Using Edith's example: would you be happy with someone saying/typing, "give me a zyx"?

We're discussing it because you started a thread about it. Why don't you believe it?

If you say "recommend me" it means you are asking someone to recommend you (the person saying it) (for something).

You can say please recommend me for the position ..... however you can not say "recommend me an umberella" ever, ever, ever.

As so often occurs in Pedants' Corner, this is nothing more than an, "I don't like the sound of it" complaint, rather than an actual misuse of language. The only reasoning you're giving for this is "(e)very time I read this ... I cringe," and, "it's soooooooo {sic} wrong..." with absolutely no factual basis for your argument. Unless, of course, you want to link some evidence to support your claim?

www.usingenglish.com/forum/general-language-discussions/146832-how-use-recommend-suggest-correctly.html

Ah - SWYM now.

My example is correct, when "recommend" is followed by an indirect and direct object.

You appear to be thinking of a different sentence pattern in which it is followed by a phrase. In such cases, the pronoun takes its case from the function in the phrase ie nominative, so you get "they recommend (that) I go to the cinema" as you have to say "I go to the cinema" not "me go to the cinema".

So if it's say an eluded S&B thread title "recommend me..." that goes on to say "shoes that go with this dress" it's fine and correct.

But if it is "do you recommend me..." that goes on to say "wear these shoes with this" it's wrong and should be "do you recommend I... " "wear these etc".

I wouldn't call another forum 'evidence', especially when their opening sentence is, "Many foreign students totally use the verbs..." I very nearly stopped reading at that point, and I certainly wouldn't be listening to anything they had to say about English. The fact they are a user of US English rather than British English may explain it, but either way, it doesn't support your claim. In fact, the moderator of that forum disagrees with that OP, so if anything counters your claim.

I think I agree with Edith... but one can't say 'Can you suggest me an X', or 'He mentioned me an X', can one? Not all verbs take an indirect object without a preposition. It would be interesting to check the OED on this one.

"Can you recommend me a good restaurant?" WRONG. It is " can you recommend a good restaurant to me?" because the object of the verb is the restaurant.