give advice
giv ad-VYS
/ɡɪv ədˈvaɪs/
To offer suggestions or recommendations about what someone should do.
Advice is uncountable; you 'give advice', never 'an advice'.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'ad' (to) and 'visum' (seen), giving advice is essentially sharing your 'view' or how you see a situation with someone else.
Word relationships
- counsel: Counsel is more formal and often implies professional or legal guidance.
- suggest: Suggest is less direct and carries less weight than giving advice.
- mislead: Mislead is to give bad or false information intentionally.
Commonly confused with
- advise: 'Advise' is the verb form; 'give advice' is the noun phrase collocation.
Word family
- adviser (noun): A person who gives advice.
Collocations
- expert advice
- sound advice
- paternal advice
Idioms & expressions
- take my advice
Example sentences
- "I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes." A quote about wisdom.
- "I can give advice, but I cannot give you the will to follow it." A mentor speaking to a student.
Memory hook
When you give advice, you are giving your 'vision' (visum) to help someone see the path. Give a view, give advice.
When not to use
Do not use 'give advice' when you are issuing a command or a direct order.
Fun facts
- The word 'advice' was originally 'avis', meaning 'opinion' in Old French.
Related words
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