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Mikan Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

request (verb) + (someone) + for

Hello.
I think this usage is incorrect:
request (verb) + (someone) + for
e.g. I requested her for a review of the document.
(Correct: I requested her to review the document. or I requested a review from/of her. or I requested that she [should] review the document.)

But I found many examples of "request (verb) + (someone) + for" on the Internet. Do you (native English speakers) think they were written by non-native spkeakers?
  

Top answer

"request someone for something" is not a general-purpose alternative to "request someone to do something". ". For example, "I had to find someone to attend the conference with me.

— GPY

  • "request someone for something" is not a general-purpose alternative to "request someone to do something".
  • ".
  • For example, "I had to find someone to attend the conference with me.
  • " -> "I requested Sarah for the conference".
  • This pattern may not always produce great-sounding English.
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12 Answers
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"request someone for something" is not a general-purpose alternative to "request someone to do something". However, it may be possible to "request someone" in the sense of asking for that person to be supplied/provided, and it may then be possible to state the purpose using "for ...". For example, "I had to find someone to attend the conference with me. I requested Sarah." -> "I requested Sarah
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I see. Thank you very much!

Also, I heared that "request someone to do something" is only used in British English and it's not correct in American English. Do American people agree?
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mikanAlso, I heared that "request someone to do something" is only used in British English and it's not correct in American English. Do American people agree?
Hopefully an American forum member will come along, but the graph below seems to show no significant difference between British and American frequency of usage, though there is a marked decline over time
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mikanI heared heard that "request someone to do something" is only used in British English and it's not correct in American English.
False. "request someone to do something" is completely correct in AmE.

CJ
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mikanrequest (verb) + (someone) + for
This has already been mentioned above, but I think it's worth repeating.

This pattern (with "for") is used to indicate the person who is wanted for the purpose of doing a particular job.

I want John to be my tour guide, so I will request [John / him] for the tour.

Note
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Hmm...
Could there be a regional difference? I asked the same question to an American in Pennsylvania, and he said "I have generally not heard the phrasing "request (somebody) to do (something) used in English."
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mikanCould there be a regional difference?
Yes, and there can also be individual differences. The very specific grammar and usage of a single person is called an idiolect. That's why it's important to ask more than one person the kind of question that you have asked.

CJ
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Then I guess it would be safe not to use "request (somebody) to do (something)" when I write to American people as some of them could think it's incorrect.
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mikanI asked the same question to an American in Pennsylvania, and he said "I have generally not heard the phrasing "request (somebody) to do (something) used in English."
It is less common and more formal than alternatives such as "ask someone to do something". Also, as shown previously, usage seems to be declining. I would not be surprised to see it in forma
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mikanThen I guess it would be safe not to use "request (somebody) to do (something)" when I write to American people as some of them could think it's incorrect.
I find your reasoning rather bizarre. If one person in the U.S. tells you that the capital city is Denver, do you hesitate to mention that the capital is Washington, D.C. when speaking to any American
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