I believe that is just linguistic style that English speakers have taken on over the years. When we say "to comment on," we are saying that we want to give feedback to a certain work, like a musical piece or a movie. When we simply say, "to comment," we are saying that we wish to say a general idea. I hope this helped.

Yes. Because 'comment' is followed by 'on'. 'Comment', like most verbs referring to speech, does not take a direct object. 'Comment' is like 'speak' or 'talk'. You wouldn't say 'He spoke the situation', would you? Nor would you say 'He talked the situation'. You would say 'He spoke/talked about the situation'. 'Comment' is the same - it takes an indirect object.

comment, remark or observe? If you comment on something you say something about it; if you remark on something or observe something, you say something about it that you have noticed: there is often not much difference between the three. However, while you can refuse to comment (without on), you cannot ‘refuse to remark’ or ‘refuse to observe’ (without on): (Synonyms) comment - note - remark - observe These words all mean to say or write a fact or opinion. comment to express an opinion or give facts about something: He refused to comment until after the trial. note (rather formal) to mention something because it is important or interesting: He noted in passing that the company’s record on safety issues was not good. remark to say or write what you have noticed about a situation: Critics remarked that the play was not original. observe (formal) to say or write what you have noticed about a situation: She observed that it was getting late.

You've had some good answer already, but it's an interesting question even for a native speaker :) Your sentence uses comment as a verb (quite correctly). Therefore that verb needs to act upon something, and that is expressed here with 'on'. Here 'comment' is an action - to comment [on something] Other examples of the verb form, acting on something: a) He commented on the essay. (he wrote or presented his opinion) b) Have you had a chance to comment on my work yet? You could rephrase your question using the noun form of 'comment': "I don't want to make any comment about [or: regarding] this situation" (Here 'comment' is a concrete "thing") Other noun form examples: a) She made a sarcastic comment about his clothes. (she whispered something to her friend behind his back) b) Have you seen the nasty comment left by that angry customer? c) [I have] No comment [to make, regarding that awkward question] Hope that helps :)

[reporting verb] Express an opinion or reaction in speech or writing: [with clause]: ‘teachers commented that children of all abilities would benefit’ [no object]: ‘the company would not comment on the venture’ [with direct speech]: ‘She’s an independent soul,’ he commented’ Phrases (no comment) Used in refusing to answer a question, especially in a sensitive situation: I spent the day saying ‘No comment’ to every reporter.