ask / tell someone to do
ask / tell someone to do means “Ask/tell + someone + to-infinitive reports a request or an order without quoting the exact words.”. To report a request or order, use ask/tell + object + to-infinitive: She asked me to wait; the teacher told us to sit down. Formation: ask/tell + object + (not) to + base verb
Ask/tell + someone + to-infinitive reports a request or an order without quoting the exact words.
B1Formation
ask/tell + object + (not) to + base verb
Explanation
To report a request or order, use ask/tell + object + to-infinitive: She asked me to wait; the teacher told us to sit down. For the negative, put not before to: He told them not to touch it. Ask suggests a polite request, while tell suggests an instruction. Verbs like advise, warn, remind, order and invite follow the same pattern.
Examples
Note
The personal object cannot be left out: say 'She told me to go', not 'She told to go'. This is unlike say, which does not take a person before the reported words.
FAQ
ask / tell someone to do — what does it mean and how is it used?
Ask/tell + someone + to-infinitive reports a request or an order without quoting the exact words.. To report a request or order, use ask/tell + object + to-infinitive: She asked me to wait; the teacher told us to sit down. For the negative, put not before to: He told them not to touch it. Ask suggests a polite request, while tell suggests an instruction. Verbs like advise, warn, remind, order and invite follow the same pattern.
ask / tell someone to do — how do you form it?
ask/tell + object + (not) to + base verb
ask / tell someone to do — any usage notes?
The personal object cannot be left out: say 'She told me to go', not 'She told to go'. This is unlike say, which does not take a person before the reported words.