Meaning & use
asking for something
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Meaning
phrase
The act of requesting that someone give you something or do something for you.
Grammar: The phrase is a gerund and can be the subject or object of a sentence: Asking for something is normal. It is not a complete sentence by itself.
Patterns
- asking for something
- ask someone for something
- ask for something
Asking for something politely shows respect for the other person.
He finds asking for something embarrassing, especially money.
Asking for something you need is not rude if you do it kindly.
Common combinations
- ask for help
- Don't be afraid to ask for help when you are stuck.
- ask for permission
- You must ask for permission before leaving the room.
- ask for a favor
- She asked for a favor, and I was happy to agree.
- ask politely
- He asked politely for a glass of water.
Synonyms and how they differ
- requesting
- More formal and often used in writing; 'asking for' is the everyday spoken choice.
- begging
- Much stronger and suggests great need or desperation; 'asking for' is neutral.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: asking for something or asking about something?
asking for something vs asking about something
'Asking for' means you want to get something; 'asking about' means you want information about it.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'ask for' plus a noun object. Option 2 uses 'for' before an infinitive, which is ungrammatical; you would say 'She asked to leave early'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “asking for something”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.