Ask and ask for
Ask
Ask is a verb meaning ‘put a question or seek an answer from someone’: Can I ask you a question?
He asked me what age I was.
‘How are you?’ she asked.
Ask + to-infinitive
We can use ask with the to-infinitive to talk about requesting something: She asked to see Professor Fenton. (ask + to-infinitive)
We asked the City Council to help us organise a sports day. (ask + object + to-infinitive).
Ask for
If you ask for something, it means that you want someone to give you something: I always ask for extra tomato sauce on my pizza.
They asked their boss for more money, but he refused.
Warning:
Don’t confuse ask for and demand. Demand means ‘ask for something forcefully’, in a way that shows we are not expecting a refusal: We are writing to ask for your help in finding suitable accommodation in New Haven.
Not: We are writing to demand …
Ask and ask for: typical error
We use for when we request someone to give us something:
I called them to ask for more details.
Not: I called them to ask more details.
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