Suggest as

[Anna232]

This sentence is from OAD. If I use the article, will the meaning change?

She suggested John as (a) chairman.

I read in my book Practical English usage that "the" is not usually used in the complement of a sentence, when we say somebody has or gains a unique position (the only one in the oeganisation)
Compare: They appointed him Head Libearian.
He was elected President in 1878.
And
Where is the librarian?
I want to see the president.
Is the OAD sentence about the same? the original sentence means she suggested John for the uniqie position. If I say "as a chairman" it could mean that this person has another position in the organisation or a chairman could be one of the positions in the organisation. Right?

 

[Tarheel]

Is there more than one chairman? (That seems unlikely.)

 

[Anna232]

Is there more than one chairman? (That seems unlikely.)

So the only possible meaning of "a chairman" is that there could be more than one chairman. Right? Or are the following meanings possible too? "...it could mean that this person has another position in the organisation or a chairman could be one of the positions in the organisation."

 

[Tarheel]

This one is making my head hurt.

The Chairman of the Board runs the Board. There aren't two of them.

 

[Anna232]

This one is making my head hurt.

The Chairman of the Board runs the Board. There aren't two of them.

If I suggest my friend a doctor or an electrician would either version with the article or withoit it be correct?
I suggest Adam as (a)doctor.
I suggest Adam as (an) electrician.

 

[emsr2d2]

If I suggest my friend a doctor or an electrician would either version with the article or withoit it be correct?
I suggest Adam as (a)doctor.
I suggest Adam as (an) electrician.

Neither sentence makes sense. You can't suggest someone as something in that way. If you're talking about something like the Chairman of the Board again, you could say "I'd like to suggest Adam as the new Chairman of the Board". It means that you'd like to put his name forward, or at least that you think he'd be good in that role.
If you're talking about suggesting that Adam take up a particular profession, you'd say something like "I suggested to Adam that he become a doctor/an electrician" or "I suggest that Adam become a doctor/an electrician".

Your opening sentence in that post didn't include the word "as", which made me think you were talking about suggesting the name of a good doctor/electrician to Adam (because he needs one of those people). If that's the case, you'd say "I suggested a good doctor/electrician to Adam".

 

[probus]

@Anna232 both of your sentences would work if you replaced suggest with recommend.