 |
A World of ESL Resources for English Students and English Teachers! |
||
        |
|||
![]()
The "How Come" Lesson "why"?
For Printable PDF Version Click Here
"How come” is a commonly used, casual expression in English that means “Why?” The pattern for “How come” is; How come + noun/pronoun + verb
Examples:
How come the bus hasn’t come yet? = Why hasn’t the bus come yet?
How come the bus is late? = Why is the bus late?
How come you didn’t catch the bus on time? = Why didn’t you catch the bus on time?
How come Brian didn’t meet me at the bus stop?
How come traffic is so bad?
“How come” is often used as a response instead of “why”.
Examples:
Examples:
Jules: I’m going to Edmonton next week.
Vern: How come?
Jules: I’ve got to meet a client there.
Dean: Brian can’t make it to the party.
Jackie: How come?
Dean: He got snowed in at John’s place and can’t get into town.
Donny: I’m just going to step out and start my car.
Marie: How come?
Donny: The temperature’s dropped to –20 and if I don’t start it every couple of hours the engine block will freeze.
Jack: I can’t get my car door open.
Jill: How come?
Jack: Some jerk stuck some gum in the keyhole.
jerk – an annoyingly stupid or foolish person (Merriam-Webster on-line)
Practice: (answers at bottom)
Make sentences using the following words and ‘How come”
How come/John/so tired? (hint: you need a verb)
How come/so windy/today? (hint: you need to add a pronoun and a verb)
How come/the sky/blue?
How come/vending machine/out of order?
How come/coffee/so weak?
How come/tea/so watery?
How come/trip/booked up
How come John is so tired?
How come it is so windy today?
How come the sky is blue?
How come the vending machine is out of order?
How come the coffee is so weak?
How come the tea is so watery?
How come the train is late?
Get the 'How Come' Crossword Puzzle Here.
Printable Version of this lesson for your class or home study.
Canada-ESL.com has tons of awesome Free ESL lessons. If you are a student, you will love our new and updated ESL lessons for all levels of English. If you are an English - ESL teacher, our lessons will make preparing for your classes a breeeze. Find what you need for learning English at Canada-ESL.com.
Find it at Canada-ESL.com!
Study English in Canada
- Study English in Canada
- Study English in Vancouver
- Study English in Halifax
- In Spanish - Acera de las ciudades
Learn English - Free ESL Lessons
Famous Quotes: have fun learning
English through Famous Quotes.
Online ESL Lessons
ESL Lessons Index
- How to write a cheque/check
- Irregular Verbs - Huge List
- Take off Eh? (Canadian Stereotypical slang)
- Break the Ice: Conversation
Starter - Yes/No Conversation Activity
- How to write a cheque/check
- Irregular Verbs - Huge List
- Who Am I - Conversation game for ESL class
- The used cars Lesson
(advanced reading) - Freak out
- Lets head
- How come
- Punch drunk
- Speak of the Devil
- Dating Slang
- Check it out
Business English Lessons