[ti:Why Do We Say, ‘How Come?’]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:02.16]Hello! Welcome to Ask a Teacher.
[00:05.04]This week we answer a question from Shinji in Japan.
[00:10.44]Here's the question:
[00:12.16]I think I once learned the expression "How come?"
[00:15.80]which I hear is to explain reasons.
[00:19.00]For example, "How come the schools are cancelled?"
[00:23.44]But I rarely come across this construction, recently,
[00:27.00]both in writing and speaking.
[00:29.84]I am not quite sure about the distinction between this and "why."
[00:35.00]If it would be all right with you, I would appreciate your lesson on it.
[00:40.16]Sincerely Yours,
[00:41.56]Shinji, Japan
[00:44.04]And here's the answer:
[00:46.40]Dear Shinji,
[00:47.48]When I started to look into this question,
[00:50.64]I found that, as you experienced,
[00:53.60]the expression is not as common now as it was in the past.
[00:58.84]The first use in American English is recorded around 1848.
[01:04.40]The highest point for its use was in the 1940s and 1950s.
[01:10.24]Its use has dropped since 2012.
[01:13.52]The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary says "how come"
[01:17.72]is "used to ask why something has happened or is true."
[01:22.56]It is a short form of "how did it come about that."
[01:27.68]The dictionary also says the expression is usually found in the United States
[01:32.60]and is used in casual speech.
[01:36.24]When it appears in news headlines, Merriam-Webster says
[01:40.40]the purpose is to create a more relaxed quality to the writing.
[01:45.28]For example, books that have "how come" in the title
[01:49.12]seem to be aimed at children.
[01:51.96]Even presidents sometimes want to sound more casual,
[01:55.44]as President Barack Obama did in a 2017 campaign speech
[02:01.20]for the Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia:
[02:06.24]"How come we can't get things through Congress?
[02:09.56]How come we can't get things through the state house?
[02:13.92]Because you slept through the election," Obama said.
[02:18.84]When we use "why" to ask a question,
[02:21.44]we must change the usual English word order.
[02:25.48]Let us begin with the statement,
[02:27.80]You are cooking lunch.
[02:29.64]To ask a question with "why,"
[02:32.16]you would change the order of the subject
[02:35.12]you and the verb are, as in this question:
[02:40.32]Why are you cooking lunch?
[02:42.60]But when we use "how come,"
[02:45.68]the word order of the statement does not change:
[02:49.88]How come you are cooking lunch?
[02:52.44]It could be that the simplicity of this question form
[02:56.52]makes it easier for children to use
[02:59.32]and gives it a more casual feel.
[03:02.72]I hope this helps you understand the expression, Shinji.
[03:06.72]What question do you have about American English?
[03:10.28]Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
[03:16.60]And that's Ask a Teacher.
[03:18.64]I'm Jill Robbins. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM