Word: How

Pronunciation

/haʊ/

Definitions

• Adverb: In what manner or way; to what extent or degree; used to ask about the manner in which something is done or happens. For example: “How did you manage to finish so quickly?”
• Adjective: (rare) In what way or manner; used to inquire about the condition or quality of something. Example: “I don’t know how good this idea is.”
• Conjunction: Introducing a clause expressing a condition or circumstance. Example: “I’ll help you how I can.”
• Interjection: Used to express surprise, anger, inquiry, or other emotions. Example: “How could you do that?”

Phrases

• How come: Used to ask the reason for something. Example: “How come you’re not coming to the party tonight?”
• How so: Used to request an explanation or elaboration when questioning a statement. Example: “You say it’s impossible? How so?”
• How do you do: A formal greeting or expression of inquiry about one’s health or well-being. Example: “Nice to meet you. How do you do?”
• How about it: A suggestion or proposal. Example: “How about we go for a walk?”

Example Sentences

• Adverb: “I wondered how they would react to the news.”
• Conjunction: “No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t solve the puzzle.”
• Interjection: “How could you forget such an important detail?”

Synonyms

• In what way/manner
• By what means
• To what extent
• For what reason (for ‘how come’)
• Why (in informal contexts for ‘how come’)

Note: While “how” often acts as an adverb or conjunction, it doesn’t fit neatly into traditional part-of-speech categories like noun, verb, adjective, etc., due to its versatile usage in English grammar.