By the end of this 5 minutes, you can:

make and respond to suggestions using 6 different expressions — choosing the right register for the context.

English has six common ways to make a suggestion, ranging from very casual to slightly more formal:

Expression	Register	Example
Let’s + infinitive	Casual / enthusiastic	Let’s go for a walk!
What about / How about + -ing	Casual	What about trying a different approach?
Why don’t we + infinitive	Neutral	Why don’t we start earlier tomorrow?
Shall we + infinitive	Neutral / polite	Shall we take a short break?
We could (always) + infinitive	Tentative / gentle	We could always rearrange the meeting.

Responding to suggestions: Accepting: ‘That sounds good! / Great idea! / Yes, let’s.’ Declining: ‘I’m not sure… / I’d rather not… / How about [counter-suggestion] instead?’

Task 1: Which form?

Rewrite using the expression in brackets:
1. ‘We should try the new café.’ → What about ___?
2. ‘Start at 9 tomorrow.’ → Shall we ___?
3. ‘You could take a different route.’ → Why don’t we ___?

Show answer

1. What about trying the new café? · 2. Shall we start at 9 tomorrow? · 3. Why don’t we take a different route?

Task 2: Accept or decline

Write a natural response to each suggestion:
1. ‘What about meeting at 3 instead of 2?’ → Accept
2. ‘Shall we cancel the project?’ → Decline with counter-suggestion

Show answer

1. ‘That sounds perfect! See you at 3.’ / ‘Good idea — 3 works much better for me.’ · 2. ‘I’d rather not cancel it completely — how about delaying it by a month instead?’

Task 3: Casual or professional?

Which suggestion is more appropriate for a professional meeting?
A) ‘Let’s just do it differently.’ B) ‘We could consider an alternative approach.’

Show answer

B is more appropriate in a formal professional context. ‘Let’s just do it’ sounds too casual and dismissive. ‘We could consider’ is tentative, collaborative and professional.

Write a short conversation (8 lines) in which two colleagues are planning a team event. One person makes 3 suggestions using 3 different expressions. The other responds to each — accepting one, declining one with a counter-suggestion, and asking a clarifying question about the third.