Language/English/Grammar/Ask
Ask and ask for[edit | edit source]
Ask for: ask somebody to give something
Ask without for: ask somebody to tell something
Compare:
- Don't ask me for money, (not don't ask money.)
Don’t ask me my name. (More common than don't ask me for my name.)
- Ask for the menu.
Ask the price.
"Ask" is sometimes used without for when talking about asking for sums of money, especially in connection with buying, selling and renting.
Examples:
They’re asking £700 a month including tax.
‘How much is the car?’ ‘I’m asking sixteen hundred.’
Note also the expressions "ask a lot of somebody", "ask too much of somebody", "ask a favour of somebody" and "ask (for) permission".
Infinitive structures[edit | edit source]
We can use infinitive structures after ask.
Examples:
ask + infinitive
I asked to go home. (= I asked permission to go home.)
ask + object + infinitive
I asked John to go home. (= I told Jack I would like him to go home.)
ask + for + object + infinitive
I asked for the children to have extra milk.
I asked for the package to be sent to my home address.
Note the difference between these two sentences:
I asked Jack to go home. (I wanted Jack to go home.)
I asked Jack if I could go home. (I wanted to go home myself.)
Videos[edit | edit source]
Improve Your English: ASK & TALK basic differences - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Asking Questions in English | Fix Your Grammar Mistakes! - YouTube[edit | edit source]
When Should You Use Past Simple? Basic English Grammar | Ask ...[edit | edit source]
English Grammar - How to ask questions - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Useful English Expressions Explained | Ask Alisha - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Collocations with pay
- POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
- Linking with And But So
- Adverbs of Time
- Mass noun
- Since and For
- RELATIVE PRONOUNS
- How to Use Have
- Actual and actually
- REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS