In this sentence, I think i need a comma after asking, right?
When the communication was poorly understood,the nurse clarified the female patient's meaning by asking “I am not sure that I understand what you mean by 'depressed than usual’?"
Yes, you need a comma after asking.
You also need a space after the comma after "understanding" and ... is there something missing after "you mean by..."?
Also -- that is not a question at the end. The question mark needs to be replaced by a period.
Yes, you need a comma after asking.
You also need a period, not a question mark, after usual'".
Yes, you are correct. In the sentence you provided, a comma is needed after the word "asking." Adding a comma in this context helps to clarify the structure of the sentence and make it easier to read.
To determine whether or not a comma should be placed after "asking" in this sentence, you can consider the following rule: when starting a sentence with a dependent clause (in this case, "the nurse clarified the female patient's meaning by asking"), it is common to separate it from the independent clause (the main part of the sentence, in this case, "I am not sure that I understand what you mean by 'depressed than usual'") with a comma.
So, to correctly punctuate the sentence, you should write it as follows:
"When the communication was poorly understood, the nurse clarified the female patient's meaning by asking, 'I am not sure that I understand what you mean by 'depressed than usual'?'"
Remember to use a comma after "asking" but before the opening quotation mark.