How to use how come in English
In this English lesson learners are going to learn “How come?” which is a very common English expression that is important to learn. It is used all the time, but many textbooks and teachers don’t teach it, because it is informal.
In this lesson, I will teach you what “how come” means, how to use it, and when to use it.
So “how come” is a question. It is very common in informal spoken English.
Meaning:
We say “how come?” why something has happened.
We can say “how come?” to ask why a particular situation exists.
“How come?” expresses surprised by a situation.
Example:
Emma: Do you want to attend my graduation?
Eva: No.
Emma: How come?
Eva: I need to finish some work.
Form – simple examples
If we want to simply ask “why?” we can say “How come?”
Tom: I’m not going to have lunch.
Dave: How come?
How come you’re so angry?
How come he will not go with you?
Form – Full questions
Let’s compare the form of “why” questions and “how come” questions:
“Why” + sentence in question form + “?”
“How come” + sentence in affirmative form + “?”
Examples:
Why are you staying out late?
How come you are staying out late?
Why did you study in Paris?
How come you studied in Paris?
Important: We do not conjugate “how come”
How came you studied in Paris? X
So, there we are that’s t the end of this lesson hope you enjoyed it.
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Downloadable files
Download the PowerPoint Presentation and Word file used in this English tutorial for beginners How to use how come in English
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