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Someone wants to ask people a question about something.
They always start the question with "let me ask you" could you cut our grass (for example)? They always start with that intro to the question.
Where does "let me ask you" fit into speaking, word play, etc. Thanks.
I think they should stop using that because it is a question which could get a no before they get to the actual question.
"Can I ask you..." and "Can I ask you a question..." are similar unnecessary verbiage.
I get the impression that people think it's more polite to lead up to what they're going to say. Please, just get to the point!
For some reason, I don't mind "Can I ask you a favor?" That feels more like a fair warning.
Just like the people on cooking shows who say "Today I made for you..."
What, you're afraid the judges will think you made it last week for someone else?
It is a rhetorical question, and usually has no pause between it and the request that follows.
Curiously, I still remember that it was an affectation that some of the patients in the state hospital had. I suspect that in some cases it served as an interrupter when the other individual (also a patient) was in a state where they were constantly talking without interruption. It also was somewhat commonly used when addressing staff, perhaps as a sign of feigned subservience?
In debating or law, the phrase can be a marker that a logical flaw is about to be exposed. Example:
"Let me ask you a question. You say you were on the phone at 8 PM, and yet you were photographed swimming in the lake at that time. How do you explain that?" The point is that there is NO answer to the question that will support the flawed logic or previous statements; otherwise known as NIGYYSOAB - now I've got you, you ...
The format of the fixed phrases at the beginning and end, bookending the content, has a label. It is common in a particular type of classic poetry, but I forget the name of it.
Someone wants to ask people a question about something.
They always start the question with "let me ask you" could you cut our grass (for example)? They always start with that intro to the question.
Where does "let me ask you" fit into speaking, word play, etc. Thanks.
I think they should stop using that because it is a question which could get a no before they get to the actual question.
Good catch! I've equated it to the similar phrase "CAN I ask you a question?" I stand corrected.
That said, often the "let me ask you" is accompanied with a non-verbal signal, such as of puzzlement, and the question that follows does so quickly enough that a comma or semi-colon might be used instead of keeping it as a stand-alone sentence.
Last edited by harry chickpea; 08-19-2021 at 12:26 PM..
It's the only person I've ever known that used that opening so not widespread in my 65 years.
"let me ask you" is assuming I am willing and it is understood by them that they can proceed with the question.
Can and may require a yes or no.
"let me ask you" goes around those terms.
One I remember was "let me ask you".......a second or two for me to stay and hear it or walk away......."what time do you get home from work?" They were as cordial a person as you'd want to know so "let me ask you" was always accepted by me as "sure" "of course" without saying it.
Someone wants to ask people a question about something.
They always start the question with "let me ask you" could you cut our grass (for example)? They always start with that intro to the question.
Where does "let me ask you" fit into speaking, word play, etc. Thanks.
I think they should stop using that because it is a question which could get a no before they get to the actual question.
"Let me ask you" is a command, not a question.
Last edited by hbdwihdh378y9; 09-27-2021 at 02:26 PM..
Many years ago, I had a rookie co-worker who had apparently not paid attention during orientation training, and had not read any of the print materials available to us. On a typical day, she would approach me four or five times to say, "I have a question", and then launch into a query that shouldn't have been necessary in the first place. Regardless of that reality, I answered her constant queries politely, and--to her credit--she always thanked me.
Finally, after about two months of her ongoing "I have a question" routine, I said, "Ev, please just ask me the question--minus the introductory statement-- as it will save time for both of us". What was most remarkable about her continual questions was that I had already answered most of them two or three times previously.
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