I inquired him

USAGE SUMMARY

The sentence 'I inquired him' is not correct in written English.
To make the sentence correct, you would use the phrasing 'I inquired of him'. Example sentence: I inquired of him and he said that he had already eaten.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

"Why not?" I inquired him again.

The New Yorker

"What happened to him?" I inquired gently.

Huffington Post

I inquired.

The New Yorker

"Whatever for?" I inquired.

The New York Times - Books

I inquired about the upholstery.

The New York Times

"Hayden who?" I inquired.

The Guardian - Tech

"Florence?" I inquired.

The New York Times

"Did Amy and Sam ever butt heads?" I inquired.

The New Yorker

"From there to where?" I inquired peevishly.

The New Yorker

Diplomatically, I inquired about its fate.

The New York Times

"What's a 'red eye'?" I inquired.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use the correct phrasing: "inquire of" someone. For example, "I inquired of him his intentions."

Common error

Avoid using "inquire" directly followed by a person (e.g., "I inquired him"). Instead, use "inquire of" or a more direct verb like "ask".

Linguistic Context

The phrase is intended to function as a declarative statement indicating that the speaker sought information from someone. However, it is grammatically incorrect and requires correction. Ludwig AI confirms this, suggesting the correct phrasing "I inquired of him".

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "I inquired him" is grammatically incorrect in contemporary English. As noted by Ludwig AI, the correct phrasing is "I inquired of him". While the intended meaning is clear – to convey the act of seeking information from someone – the incorrect grammar makes the phrase unsuitable for formal writing. Simpler alternatives such as "I asked him" are more commonly used and understood. Due to the lack of examples, it's considered a missing phrase in common usage.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

I inquired of him

A grammatically correct phrasing using "inquired".

I asked him

Simple and direct replacement for inquiring.

I questioned him

Implies a more formal or investigative tone.

I queried him

Similar to 'questioned' but slightly less intense.

I interviewed him

Implies a structured conversation with specific questions.

I put the question to him

Emphasizes the act of posing a specific question.

I interrogated him

Suggests a rigorous and potentially confrontational inquiry.

I sought information from him

A more verbose but clear alternative.

I made inquiries of him

Formal and emphasizes the act of making multiple inquiries.

I sounded him out

Informal, meaning to cautiously seek his opinion or knowledge.

FAQs

What's the correct way to use the verb "inquire" when seeking information from someone?

The correct phrasing is "inquire of" someone. For instance, "I "inquired of him" about the details of the project."

Is it grammatically correct to say "I inquired him"?

No, the sentence "I inquired him" is not grammatically correct. The correct usage is "I inquired of him" or a simpler alternative like "I asked him".

What can I say instead of "I inquired of him" for a more casual tone?

For a more casual tone, you can use alternatives such as "I "asked him"", "I "checked with him"", or "I "found out from him"" depending on the specific context.

What is the difference between "I inquired of him" and "I asked him"?

"I inquired of him" is more formal than "I "asked him"". While both convey seeking information, "inquired" suggests a more deliberate or official tone.