What happened? asks what took place or what went wrong. People ask it about an event that's already over: a broken cup on the floor, colleagues coming out of a meeting looking gloomy, a friend coming back upset. If you want to know what became of someone or something, add to: What happened to your hand?
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What happened?; What happened to + person/thing?; What happened at/in + place/event?
- What happened at the meeting? Everyone came out looking really stressed.
- What happened to your phone? The screen is completely cracked.
- I missed the last episode, so what happened in the end?
What changed
First versionThere's broken glass all over the kitchen floor. What was happened?
RevisionThere's broken glass all over the kitchen floor. What happened?
Was appears when the past is shown twice: once with was and again with the -ed ending. But happen has no form was happened: nobody “happens” an event, it simply happens, and the past is shown by one ending: happened. Did isn't needed either, because what is the thing that happened, the subject of the question, and questions about the subject don't take did. The correction simply removes was.
What happened? asks about an event that's over. To ask about something going on right now, say What's happening?: noise through the wall, a crowd at the entrance. And if someone looks sad and the reason may not be an event at all, ask What's wrong?: You look tired. What's wrong?
Your turn
There's a big scratch on your car door. What ___?
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happened — The scratch is already there, so the event is in the past: happened. Was happened doesn't exist: nobody “happens” an event, it happens by itself, and the past is shown by a single -ed ending.
You come back from holiday and everything in the office has been moved around. Write a question to a colleague with what happened and say what exactly has changed.
I've just got back from holiday and all our desks are in a different room. What happened while I was away?
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