Why Do We Say, 'How Come?'
2021-06-19
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1Hello! Welcome to Ask a Teacher.
2This week we answer a question from Shinji in Japan.
3Here's the question:
4I think I once learned the expression "How come?" which I hear is to explain reasons.
5For example, "How come the schools are cancelled?"
6But I rarely come across this construction, recently, both in writing and speaking.
7I am not quite sure about the distinction between this and "why."
8If it would be all right with you, I would appreciate your lesson on it. Sincerely Yours,Shinji, Japan
9And here's the answer:
10Dear Shinji,
11When I started to look into this question, I found that, as you experienced, the expression is not as common now as it was in the past.
12The first use in American English is recorded around 1848.
13The highest point for its use was in the 1940s and 1950s. Its use has dropped since 2012.
14The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary says "how come" is "used to ask why something has happened or is true."
15It is a short form of "how did it come about that."
16The dictionary also says the expression is usually found in the United States and is used in casual speech.
17When it appears in news headlines, Merriam-Webster says the purpose is to create a more relaxed quality to the writing.
18For example, books that have "how come" in the title seem to be aimed at children.
19Even presidents sometimes want to sound more casual, as President Barack Obama did in a 2017 campaign speech for the Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia:
20"How come we can't get things through Congress? How come we can't get things through the state house? Because you slept through the election," Obama said.
21When we use "why" to ask a question, we must change the usual English word order.
22Let us begin with the statement,
23You are cooking lunch.
24To ask a question with "why," you would change the order of the subject (you) and the verb (are), as in this question:
25Why are you cooking lunch?
26But when we use "how come," the word order of the statement does not change:
27How come you are cooking lunch?
28It could be that the simplicity of this question form makes it easier for children to use and gives it a more casual feel.
29I hope this helps you understand the expression, Shinji.
30What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
31And that's Ask a Teacher.
32I'm Jill Robbins.
1Hello! Welcome to Ask a Teacher. This week we answer a question from Shinji in Japan. 2Question 3Here's the question: 4I think I once learned the expression "How come?" which I hear is to explain reasons. For example, "How come the schools are cancelled?" But I rarely come across this construction, recently, both in writing and speaking. I am not quite sure about the distinction between this and "why." If it would be all right with you, I would appreciate your lesson on it. Sincerely Yours, 5Shinji, Japan 6Answer 7And here's the answer: 8Dear Shinji, 9When I started to look into this question, I found that, as you experienced, the expression is not as common now as it was in the past. The first use in American English is recorded around 1848. The highest point for its use was in the 1940s and 1950s. Its use has dropped since 2012. 10The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary says "how come" is "used to ask why something has happened or is true." It is a short form of "how did it come about that." The dictionary also says the expression is usually found in the United States and is used in casual speech. When it appears in news headlines, Merriam-Webster says the purpose is to create a more relaxed quality to the writing. 11For example, books that have "how come" in the title seem to be aimed at children. Even presidents sometimes want to sound more casual, as President Barack Obama did in a 2017 campaign speech for the Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia: "How come we can't get things through Congress? How come we can't get things through the state house? Because you slept through the election," Obama said. 12Word order of a question 13When we use "why" to ask a question, we must change the usual English word order. Let us begin with the statement, 14You are cooking lunch. 15To ask a question with "why," you would change the order of the subject (you) and the verb (are), as in this question: 16Why are you cooking lunch? 17But when we use "how come," the word order of the statement does not change: 18How come you are cooking lunch? 19It could be that the simplicity of this question form makes it easier for children to use and gives it a more casual feel. I hope this helps you understand the expression, Shinji. 20What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 21And that's Ask a Teacher. 22I'm Jill Robbins. 23Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 24______________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26casual - adj. done without much thought, effort, or concern 27headline - n. the title written in large letters over a story in a newspaper 28title - n. the name given to something (such as a book, song, or movie) to identify or describe it 29Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.