Directly:
* "He was asking about the new restaurant downtown." (Simple statement)
* "She was asking if I wanted to go to the movies." (Asking a question)
* "The teacher was asking for volunteers to help with the project." (Requesting something)
With a clause:
* "While I was talking on the phone, she was asking for my attention." (Using a dependent clause)
* "Because he was asking so politely, I agreed to help him." (Using a dependent clause)
With a prepositional phrase:
* "He was asking for help with his homework." (Expressing the reason for the question)
* "She was asking about the latest news." (Expressing the topic of the question)
Remember: "Was asking" implies that the question was asked in the past and is no longer being asked in the present.