"Suggest" + gerund ("going," "taking"...)

Here's a question about forming a sentence using the verb to suggest followed by a gerund, or a verb that ends in -ing and behaves like a noun in a sentence.

Here's the reader's question:

I read all the examples at the headword suggest (verb) and you don't include sentences like, "I suggest going in my car."

Is the use of the gerund after suggest only found in British English?

Editor Kory Stamper responds:

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This use (which uses the first sense of suggest given in the Learner's Dictionary: "to mention (something) as a possible thing to be done, used, thought about, etc.") is not limited to British English--we have ample evidence for it in our American English files as well. It does, however, seem to be preferred in particular situations.

Suggest + gerund seems to be used primarily in more formal settings. It appears in constructions where the speaker is talking to or about the general public and not a specific person:

         "Why suggest going to Yellowstone in August when the park is the most jammed?"

and in constructions where not all readers or listeners are able to act on the advice given:

         "He suggests taking all or part of the party budget and giving employees bonuses to help with their holiday expenses."

It is also used when the speaker wants to emphasize what he or she is suggesting, rather than who is taking action on their suggestion:

         "He also suggests going with your mother to her appointments."

Sometimes the writer or speaker wants to avoid implying that the reader is the one with the problem, since some advice can be embarrassing.  This is another situation where  suggest + gerund is common:

         "In addition, I suggest taking odourless garlic capsules as the allicin in garlic can work against unwanted bacteria and yeasts in the gut."

         "We suggest planning ahead."

In each of the examples above, the speaker is careful to avoid saying, "I suggest (that) you..." because they do not wish to imply that you, the reader, suffer from the problems they are addressing. This construction helps avoid offending people.

You will find that suggest + gerund appears primarily in writing, since writing often has a slightly more formal tone than speech. It is correct and common in both American or British English.