Explain this type of sentence: I was asked to call you.

[Molly]

@stew.t.

Your explanation was not useful or beneficial, or even accurate. A version maybe but as I said needs a context. Leaving a very short explanation when it is a version does as much harm as good.

cheers stew.t.

Do us a favour and give us the full explanation, will you, stew?

And while you’re at it, can you tell us which classroom explanation you give for the use of “some versus any”?

[Stew.t]

Hi Molly

So if one is asked/requested to call someone they should feel obliged to do this?

I think this depends on the frame of their relationship does it not?

If you are asked to call someone, you may not, so are you therefore neglecting some sense of obligation you should have?

[Molly]

@Yankee

@Molly

Try euphemism, for starters, Amy.

How likely do you think it is that someone will use “I was asked to call you” as a euphemism for “You asked me to call you”? Have you checked the corpora for frequency of use?
.

How likely is it that one of your students will need it for such? Now try “indirectness”.

[Molly]

So if one is asked/requested to call someone they should feel obliged to do this?

Not with all forms of request, no. Don’t forget the necessity bit, will ya?

On a similar note, how would you explain “You are asked/requested to call Mr P”?

If you are asked to call someone, you may not, so are you therefore neglecting some sense of obligation you should have?

That’s not how DEONTIC modality works, is it now? The obligation is from the speaker/requester, and not from the receiver.

So, with “I have to go to a meeting tomorrow”, there no objective obligation or necessity, right? You can’t teach your learners that “have to” has obligation or necessity attached to it, right?

[Stew.t]

Hi Molly

I do not give definitions as my explanations. I would teach it dependent on level.

In all cases I would have a contextual example. And I often teach in a generative manner and not necessarily a “grammar” unit.

Most contextual examples would be on such lines as this (self penned);

A"Why are you calling so late?"
B"I was asked to call you.
He said it´d be a good idea to let you know before your hols".

If I was to focus on B, I would try to elicit from my students the function of
“I was asked to call you”.

So lets say they said it was reported speech.
Then I would ask how then know this.
Some may mention the form, others because he asked speaker B to call last night or sometime in the past.

I may then wrap up with from this context you could therefore say it is a past request, formed in reported speech in the time of speaking.

Just off the top of my head ; )

If I was teaching higher level students I may mention some sense of obligation. As in my example with “Please…”

cheers stew.t.

[MrPedantic]

@stew.t.

It could be an obligation or necessity by context or tone. However to say it is intrinsically is quite unusual.

Yes, I agree.

For instance, person A may have some difficulty with a client. He may ask his manager to call the client on his behalf, since the manager is more experienced in such situations. The manager may then say to the client:

1. I was asked to call you by my colleague, who tells me there’s a problem with…

I don’t see any obligation or necessity here. To some extent, the point of the structure is to avoid any mention of the “asking” party; all that we know is that the caller is acting on someone else’s behalf.

MrP

[Molly]

Can’t find any examples of “I was asked to call you by…”. Can anyone else?

[MrPedantic]

@Molly

Can’t find any examples of “I was asked to call you by…”. Can anyone else?

It’s something you say on the phone, old chap; not something you write on the Internet.

MrP

[Yankee]

@MrPedantic

It’s something you say on the phone, old chap; not something you write on the Internet.

Exactly.
By the way, there don’t seem to be any examples of “I was asked to call you” (i.e. without the word ‘by’) in the BNC or BYU corpora either. Hmmm. We may have no choice but to rely on native speaker intuition here.
.

[Molly]

@Yankee

By the way, there don’t seem to be any examples of “I was asked to call you” (i.e. without the word ‘by’) in the BNC or BYU corpora either. Hmmm. We may have no choice but to rely on native speaker intuition here.
.

You have to know how to use the corpus.

ASKED TO CALL 7

Does your native speaker intuition tell you that “I was asked to call by (name of person)” is common or likely?

[Molly]

Written on the Internet:

5,220 English pages for “hello, who’s there”.
18,400 English pages for “I’ll put you through”.

And so on.

Can anyone be bothered to sort out Mr P’s example form this lot?

[color=red]68 English pages for “was asked to call * by”.

[Yankee]

@Molly

You have to know how to use the corpus.

I see. How many instances of “I was asked to call you” did you manage to find in the corpora using your method? And of those, how many meant “You asked me to call you”?
.

[MrPedantic]

@Molly

Does your native speaker intuition tell you that “I was asked to call by (name of person)” is common or likely?

Also:

1. I’ve been asked to give you a call by…

2. I was asked by <…> to give you a call…

Or in emails, etc:

3. I’ve been asked to do X by Y, but…

All standard phrases in ordinary office life.

MrP

[Molly]

Dealing with the unit “I was asked to call you” is where we are now.

[Molly]

1. Could you call my wife for me?
2. I would appreciate if you did a follow up call concerning the last meeting?
3. Please, call the area manager tomorrow?

I see “I was asked to call you” as different in the 1st and 2nd examples. To me it has an implied “if I would” there.

e.g.

A. Could you call my wife for me?
B: Sure, no problem.

Later:

B: Mrs P? I was asked to call you/I was asked if I would call you.

Even though there I would expect to hear “Mr P/Norris/your husband asked me to call you.”

[Molly]

@Yankee

@Molly

You have to know how to use the corpus.

I see. How many instances of “I was asked to call you” did you manage to find in the corpora using your method? And of those, how many meant “You asked me to call you”?
.

I didn’t find any, which tells me that “was asked to call” is not very popular at all (as with most passives).

Google says:

15 English pages for “was asked to call you”.
756 English pages for “asked me to call you”.

So, my tool and Google helped confirm something at least.

BTW, is this likely?

You asked that I call you.

[Molly]

“Miss Bennet? Miss Bennet? I was asked to call you at 5:00. Breakfast will be ready in half an hour. The gents will meet you in the parlor you were in last night. Milly here will help you get ready.” The first maid hurried out to other duties. Jane and Lizzy got up and prepared for another day of travel. They went down to the parlor for breakfast. Mr. Darcy, already there, rose and greeted them. Mr. Bingley was nowhere in evidence.

austen.com/derby/janice2.htm

Any necessity or obligation attached there?

And, “I was asked to help” you can mean “I was asked if I would help you” or “I was told to help you”, right?

What do you see as the difference, if any, in function here?

1. In 1998 I was asked if I would teach a meditation class at the NHSP for their drug and alcohol program.

2. In 1998 I was asked to teach a meditation class at the NHSP for their drug and alcohol program.

[Stew.t]

Hi Molly

“You asked that I call you” likely as a version in regions of England, yes.
Even though some would consider it grammatically incorrect.

The spoken grammar is alright as it causes no miscommunication. I would even use it if I spoke with my Lancashire accent.
but more so;

“Ya askt that a call ya”.

[Stew.t]

Hi Molly

Maybe for the other forum users elaborate on how this “if I would” is implied? Also linking it to ;

@Molly

"

1. In 1998 I was asked if I would teach a meditation class at the NHSP for there drug and alcohol program.

2. In 1998 I was asked to teach a meditation class at the NHSP for there drug and alcohol program.

What similarities or differences do you see?

[Stew.t]

Hi Molly

The example you give from Jane Eyre does support some obligation (sense of duty).

Without context and knowing that the obligation is explicit in the roles, duties of the profession of the speaker it would not be so clear to a learner. This is the kind of example that would have been useful in your initial response to the question.

Also a distinction should be made here between call as in telephone, and call as in shout, announce or get.

cheers stew.t.