Page 50 - Basic English Usage

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53 ask

1 Ask for: ask somebody to give something
Ask without for: ask somebody to tell something

Don’t ask me for money. (NOT Doertaskme meney-)
Don't ask me my name. (NOT Berttasi-me-formy name-)
Ask for the menu.
Ask the price.

2 When there are two objects, the indirect object (the person) comes first,
without a preposition.
1 2
lilask ‘that man’ ‘the time’
(NOT +#asi-thetime_te thatiman-)

3 Wecanuse ask with just one object (direct or indirect).
Ask him. — Ask his name.

4 Wecan use infinitive structures after ask.

| asked to go home. ( = | said | wanted to go home.)
ask + object + infinitive
! asked John to go home. ( = | said | wanted John to go home.)

| ask + for + noun/pronoun + passive infinitive |
| asked for the parcel to be sent to my home adaress.

54 at, in, and on (place)

1 Atis used to talk about position at a point.
It's very hot at the centre of the earth.
Turn right at the next traffic-lights.

Sometimes we use at with a larger place, if we just think of it as a point:
a point on a journey, a meeting place, or the place where something
happens.
You have to change trains at Didcot.
The plane stops for an hour at Frankfurt.
Let's meet at the station.
There's a good film at the cinema in Market Street.