Hey friends! How are things?

Today’s phrasal verb is to “come along”. Do you have any idea of what this phrasal verb means? Don’t worry, I will show you!  The verb “come” is very popular in English. We use it all the time. Now, you need to remember that when we talk about phrasal verbs, the particle (prepositions or adverbs) WILL change the meaning of this verb.  But let’s take a look at the most popular meanings.

 

1. To arrive or to appear, to materialize– This is a very similar (not the same) meaning to the verb “come”. To come means to go to a person, in the direction of a person. To come along can mean to arrive or appear in a place. Let’s take a look at some examples

 

Example 01: I’m sure the right job will come along, Josh, just be patient

In this case, I’m  telling Josh to be patient, because the right job (a good opportunity) will appear. Note that, I’m not necessarily talking about the opportunity appearing in a place, but just simply appearing, happening.

 

Example 02: Hey, Suzie, I know you are feeling sad Peter broke up with you. Try to cheer up; the right guy will come along in the future!

 

In this case, I’m telling Suzie to feel better. Peter ended the relationship with her and because of that, she is feeling sad. So I continue by saying that the right guy (a good guy/man) will appear/will materialize/will come to her life in the future

 

2. To go somewhere with someone – this means you are going to a place with another person. Use “to come along” to give this idea. Check out the examples below:

 

Example 01: I need to go to the supermarket tonight. You can come along if you want to, Bob!

In this case, I’m saying that I will go to the supermarket later, at night. Then I continue by telling Bob, that if he wants to go with me, he can. If he wants to come along, he can.

 

Example 02: This is going to be a great party! I’m glad you came along, Linda!

In this case, I am talking about a party and how happy I am because Linda could come to the party. I am happy (glad) she was able to go.

 

3. To improve or to make progress in the way that you want. In this case, you are improving something, for example, you study English because you need to improve right? We can use come along to show a similar idea. Look at the examples:

 

Example 01: My English is coming along really well. Now I feel comfortable speaking English.

In this case, I am saying that my English is improving, getting better. Then I continue and explain that I can speak English now.

 

Example 02:  Our new business project is coming along really well.  We will be able to launch our new product next week.

In this case, I’m talking about a business project that is making progress, that is working well. I continue by saying that the product will be launched the following week.

 

There you go! I hope you enjoyed this post!

How is your English coming along? I would love to know that in the comments!

Cheers!

Teacher Prix