ENGLISH
REFERENCE

a dream come true

idiom.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

idiom. something that happens exactly as you hoped or imagined it would.

idiom. a figurative expression describing a long-desired event or situation that has finally materialized in reality.


SIMPLE

Winning the lottery was a dream come true.

CONTEXTUAL

After years of practicing in her garage, getting a record deal was a dream come true for the young singer.

COMPLEX

For the aging architect, seeing his final design dominate the city skyline was a dream come true that justified decades of professional struggle.

Usage

usually functions as a complement after the verb 'to be' or as a noun phrase in apposition.

Teaching tip

point out the unusual grammar where 'come' is a past participle acting as an adjective; it is a fixed unit and cannot be changed to 'a dream came true' when used as a noun phrase.

Pitfall

It was a dream comes true.It was a dream come true.the phrase uses the past participle 'come' to describe the dream, not the present tense verb 'comes'.

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