Why is my answer truncated? Tell me why she became famous. - a statement, an imperative. Not a question. Show me why I need to do this. Tell me when I get to eat. . A standard construction, word-order in English to mean an imperative, a direction, a demand. . On this site, and sometimes in other places, but usually online, where grammar is often somewhat questionable, you will find this construction used. For example: How to express this in English? - With my upbringing, this is not a question, not correct: it's a fragment, incomplete. As above, it is part of a longer construction with an imperative meaning. . The reason? These are the accepted, considered "correct" rules used in English. How did I do in explaining?