can I say "pretty good"? is short for How has this come to be? "Why" is the general question word that covers all your bases. It is a subtle mechanism that allows us to drop the 'do' verb from the question. yes - after sleeping on this I kind of agree that its not so black and white....for me it seems to question the 'state of affairs' as opposed to the actors of those affairs. Can you give an example of 'Why-asking for an outcome'. I have been thinking on this for a while... "How come...?" or "How has it come to pass that...?". and updated on September 28, 2017, Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects, Differences Between Fraternity And Sorority, The Difference Between Formal And Informal Writing, Difference Between Quarantine and Self Isolation, Difference Between Unimodal and Bimodal Distribution, Difference Between Complement and Supplement, Difference Between Vitamin D and Vitamin D3, Difference Between LCD and LED Televisions, Difference Between Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, Difference Between Civil War and Revolution. — Ane verie excellent and delectabill treatise intitulit Philotus, 1603. If all natural sources of oxygen production stop, how long do we have? What is the difference between man and men ? Both can be used to inquire about something, or to ask for an explanation about a situation. Substituting “how come” for “why” sometimes ends up with a sentence or question that doesn’t make sense. Only a young child ( maybe) or an uneducated person would ever attempt this one with a straight face. Another difference is that question openings are different in tone. Really?! You don't need the do auxiliary verb usually formed with question words. It only takes a minute to sign up. How did “biscuit” come to have a distinct meaning in North American English? Celine. It is a very direct question expecting a direct answer, with the emphasis on "you doing". and Are you not angry? The answer would explain the history of the larger cups breaking, the small-cup sets received as gifts, etc. I agree about formality, but not about confrontation: I would put them the other way round. What is the difference between mop the floor and sweep the floor ? A slight difference is also noticeable in writing. “How come” can also give a softer and less confrontational tone or attitude from the asking person. The latter is something your boss might ask. As Robusto commented, it's a contraction of something like: "How does it come to be that ...?" ‘How come’ and ‘why’ are two different questions that are asked in the English language. is a contraction of "How does it come to be that ...?" What is the difference between keep on top and keep in on top ? “How come” can indicate a soft inquiry (usually on the subject of the method and not of a general inquiry), disbelief, or accusation in the context of its usage. How come? — Shakespeare, Coriolanus. I'm a native English speaker use both words in conversation, but can't tell why I pick one from the other. “How come it came to be that way”?! In contrast, “why” doesn’t imply any presupposition on the user’s part. rev 2020.10.9.37784, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, English Language & Usage Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. is softer than "Why did you turn up late?". What is the difference between Has and Have ? Please show me example sentences with grab. 4, 19). Converting Strings to Decimals (Gone Wrong). The latter is something your boss might ask. 5.The tone of “why” can be interpreted as authoritative and demanding while “how come” can imply an accusation, disbelief, or surprise. Origin of phrase “Fruit-loop” meaning crazy person, isn't complete and therefore unclear. ? The words phrase based in how seems really awkward to me, and I don't understand this convention. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. One of these notable areas is the situation or the time of the utterance. Also, it's not as confrontational. (not really acceptable = no purpose stated), For a quick trip to the post office. What should the nonce value be for client-side encryption? Come has a sense, meaning "turn out", "happen", "come about". Also, it's not as confrontational. site design / logo © 2020 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa. In my view "How come + that-clause?" Whan it came vpon a daye that Elcana offred. A listener named Barbara wrote in wondering about the phrase “how come.” Because my car is in the shop. is softer than "Why did you turn up late?". sourced from an English exchange site to help you further understand the intricacies, 彼女は私達の後ろから来た。 Whereas not unusual to hear them say "How come the rich get richer and the poor get poorer?". Why is Sauron's name similar to the Greek/Latin word for "lizard"? Do they have exactly the same meaning? DifferenceBetween.net. In years gone by, this minimal two-word phrase "How come? Although “how come” and “why” are similar in function, there are slight differences in many areas. Only the user who asked this question will see who disagreed with this answer. It is softer because it acknowledges that 'it came to be' that you were late. Meanwhile, “how come” is used for informal or casual situations. or "How has it come to pass that...?". "How come all of your coffee cups are so small?" 7.Context is a great judge on what sentence or question opener should be used. I'm in the 'how come can be softer' school. “How come” added with the verb form “be” will express a pattern of no inversion of noun and verbs. chosen for a reason; and in my ears that reason will be to express truculence or disapproval. However, there are instances where the use of “how come” in replacement for “why” ends up in a confusing sentence or question. Do they have exactly the same meaning? The emphasis is shifted off "you doing". I think the question with how come shows that we take a lot of interest in the other person. One asks for a cause or purpose and the other asks for an intended outcome or result. The two are mostly interchangeable, but they do differ in the manner that they are used. @Kosmonaut: In German, you could also say. How can I efficiently manipulate digits in a string without using RegEx in Java? Meanwhile, “how come” is used for informal or casual situations. “How come” indicates a sense of presupposition. Why is there a need for the concept of energy if we have the concept of momentum? While this sense of come waned, its use in how come popped up as a colloquial survivor and grew from there. How does the “be-” prefix change the words to which it is applied? ETH - Pre-Paid smart contract so user don't pay transactions. how come? English also has "what for", which can be used instead of "why" in certain places. It can express an air of surprise, indignation, or unfairness. That's an interesting way of looking at it. I wouldn't use it in formal speaking or writing. Both “how come” and “why” can be used interchangeably in many situations. is asking for the history, verbs, facts behind a condition, i.e. 自然な言い方を教えてください。. What is the difference between certificate and certification ?

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