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If I want to recommend that a friend ask her private tutor to give her homework (because her tutor isn't used to assigning her any homework), what should I say? I want to use a short sentence (not "ask your tutor to give you homework"). I know that you should use "ask for" if you want to request some information. so, does homework fall under this category of info? Or should I use "ask about homework" instead?

Sentences:

Ask your tutor for homework so you can practice in between classes.
Then, ask for homework!

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    You can ask for anything, not just information! (Forgiveness, another cup of tea, something on sale in a shop...)
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 15:55
  • For what it's worth, “Ask your tutor to give you homework” would seem perfectly natural in the circumstances — it doesn't sound unnecessarily long.  In fact, I'd be more likely to add a word: “Ask your tutor to give you some homework.”
    – gidds
    Commented Dec 24, 2023 at 14:35

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You certainly can say things like

Ask your tutor for homework . . .
Ask your tutor for more homework . . .

And this is probably the shortest, most direct way to ask for something, including homework.

As you have surmised, you may also ask in one of these ways:

Ask your tutor about homework . . .
Ask your tutor about more homework . . .
Ask your tutor about giving you some more homework . . .
Ask your tutor about the possibility of giving you some more homework . . .

What these last 3 versions are saying (without really saying it) is that your friend should be especially polite when she makes the request. So naturally, they are longer. You're communicating the instruction in a roundabout manner so that she will make the request in a roundabout manner.

Only you or your friend knows how much politeness is required by the situation.

As to your other suggestion, it is grammatically correct to say Then ask for some homework. It would be more idiomatically correct to say, Then ask for some homework. English strongly favors the use of articles and other determiners, especially when the noun in question is tangible or can be perceived that way—here, as a set of pages, perhaps.

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  • Thanks a lot! One more question. Is it grammatically correct to say "Then, ask for homework!" in a conversation with my friend?
    – Karin
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 13:33
  • It is grammatically correct. It would be more idiomatically correct to say, "Then ask for some homework." English strongly favors the use of articles and other determiners, especially when the noun in question is tangible or can be perceived that way—here, as a set of pages, perhaps.
    – Jeffrey Carney
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 13:39

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