Word of the Day: Happen
The word “happen” is used for activities, events, accidents, and surprises. It’s kind of a tricky verb to use, so you really have to study it. First, let’s listen to the way “happen” is used with the word “what.” Remember: When a question word serves as the “subject,” don’t use a helping verb.
- What happened? (Ask this question when you first learn that there’s a problem.)
- What happens here every day? (Use this kind of a question for general activity.)
- What happens if I put these two things together? (Ask this kind of a question when considering possibility.)
In the next set of questions, use a helping verb because the question word is not the subject:
- When did that happen? (The word “that” is the subject in the question.)
- Where does this usually happen?
- How can this happen?
- Why hasn’t that happened yet?
The word “happen” is often used in the present tense, the past tense, and the future tense:
- That happened yesterday. (past tense)
- This happens every day. (present tense)
- It won’t happen until tomorrow. (future tense, negative)
“Happen” is also found in many expressions:
- Hey, what’s happening? (Hi. How are you?)
- This can’t be happening. (This is really bad.)
- We have to make this happen. (We have to work hard to be successful.)
- This party is not happening. Let’s go. (This is not fun or exciting.)
- That is not going to happen. (I will do anything to prevent that.)
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with H page to see the list of all words starting with letter H. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
