Common Mistakes : Happen

verb

.BAD: It happened very strange something
.GOOD: Something very strange happened

.BAD: I was afraid it might happen to me something terrible
.GOOD: I was afraid that something terrible might happen to me

.BAD: It didn’t happen what the teacher had predicted
.GOOD: What the teacher had predicted didn’t happen

: The subject of happen comes in front of the verb, in the usual way
.Accidents happen every day along this stretch of the road
.Something unforeseen has happened

When you use it (preparatory subject) before happen , the sentence continues with a that clause
It happened that we had both booked seats on the same flight = By chance we had both booked

.BAD: One day happened something very sad
.GOOD: One day something very sad happened

.BAD: Then happened something that made me very angry
.GOOD: Then something happened that made me very angry

: (The subject of the sentence comes in front of happen (NOT after it
.Something unexpected has happened
.Something has happened that I think you ought to know about

.BAD: I don’t know what’s happened with him. He should be here by now
.GOOD: I don’t know what’s happened to him. He should be here by now

: (Something happens to someone/something (NOT with
.What’s happened to the clock? It’s not working