how
(adverb, conjuction)
LISTEN
"How much is it?"
We often use the word how in questions. When we do this, we are asking about someone, because we want to know if they are well. Or we can ask about something, because we want to know if it is going well for someone.
- How are you?
- How was the exam? Was it easy?
We can also use how to mean ‘in what way?’
- “How did you get home?” “I walked.”
When we use how with much or many, we are asking about the number or the price of something.
- How many children do you have?
- “How much is it?” “It’s $5.99.”
We can also use how in the middle of a sentence. When we do this, it has the same meanings as it has in questions.
- I don’t know how much it is.
- She didn’t say how she got home.
Or we can use how to mean ‘very.’ For example, if someone says, “How sad!” it means that they think that something is very sad.
- “I’m a scientist.” “How interesting!”
In pop culture
Do you know the movie How to Train Your Dragon? It’s about a boy who is friends with a dragon. Usually dragons are scary, but this one is really cute! In this video from the movie, the boy is trying to make friends with the dragon so that he can train it.
There are other meanings of how.
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