INDEX:
1. with adjectives
2. with nouns
3. to become a teacher, manager, student, etc
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ CHANGE/NOT CHANGE
↑ DEVELOP
↑ INCREASE
↑ LESS
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1. with adjectives
▷ become /bɪˈkʌm/ [verb]
if you become rich, famous, worried etc, you start to be rich, famous, worried etc :
▪ Julian’s book was a big success and he quickly became rich and famous.
▪ The weather was becoming warmer.
▪ After a while my eyes became accustomed to the dark.
become aware/certain/convinced etc that
▪ Slowly she became aware that there was someone else in the room.
it becomes clear/evident/obvious etc that
▪ It soon became clear that the fire was out of control.
▷ get /get/ [verb]
to become :
▪ It normally gets dark at about 8.30 p.m.
▪ The man in the shop got annoyed and started shouting at me.
▪ The situation doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
▪ I think I’m getting too old for this kind of thing.
▪ You’ll need to take out insurance, in case anything gets damaged in the move.
HINT : Become and get : Become is more formal than get and is used mainly in written English. Get is the usual word to use in conversation. Don’t use get with these words: available , calm , clear , famous , happy , important , necessary , obvious , poor , powerful , proud , sad , silent , successful , useful . But you can use get with comparatives, such as: clearer , happier , more famous , more important . You can also use get with past participles, such as: annoyed , bored , damaged , lost , broken .
▷ grow /grəʊ/ [verb]
grow old/tired/worse/larger etc
to slowly and gradually become old, tired etc :
▪ As we grow old, we worry more about our health.
▪ I’d been waiting for forty minutes and I was beginning to grow uneasy.
▪ The sound of footsteps grew louder.
▪ Fiona was growing tired of being treated in this way.
▷ go /gəʊ/ [verb]
to become - only use go with these words :
go grey/white/red/dark etc
▪ Her face went bright red with embarrassment.
go mad/wild/crazy
▪ Your dad’ll go crazy when he finds out.
go quiet/silent
▪ As soon as the band started playing, the crowd went silent.
go bad/sour/cold
▪ My coffee’s gone cold.
▷ turn /tɜːʳn/ [verb]
to become - only use turn with these words :
turn red/white/blue etc
▪ It was late autumn and the leaves were slowly turning golden.
turn nasty/mean
▪ When I said that I was not prepared to help him, he suddenly turned nasty.
turn sour
▪ Their friendship was beginning to turn sour.
turn cold/warm
▪ Just when we were all getting our summer clothes out, it turned cold again.
2. with nouns
▷ become /bɪˈkʌm/ [verb]
▪ Since winning all that money he’s become a very unpleasant person.
▪ Mobile phones have now become fashion accessories for schoolkids and teenagers.
▷ change into/turn into /ˈtʃeɪndʒ ɪntuː, ˈtɜːʳn ɪntuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if someone or something changes or turns into someone or something else, they become completely different :
▪ The little brown caterpillar will eventually turn into a beautiful butterfly.
▪ She’s changed into a much gentler person since she had her own kids.
▪ During the brewing process all the sugar turns into alcohol.
change from something into something
▪ When I went back, the countryside had changed from farmland into housing estates and factory sites.
▷ grow into /ˈgrəʊ ɪntuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to gradually change over a long time and become a different type of person, place, or thing :
▪ Leo had grown into a slim blond young man since she last saw him.
▪ In recent years the town has grown into a city of about 500,000 people.
▪ The crowd’s cheers slowly grew into a loud crescendo of noise.
▷ develop into /dɪˈveləp ɪntuː/ [verb phrase]
to gradually change and become something or someone that is better or worse than before :
▪ Over the years the college developed into one of the finest language institutions in all of South East Asia.
▪ Joe had no athletic ability, and was developing into an overweight child.
▪ 3000 troops were sent to prevent the disturbances from developing into a full-scale civil war.
3. to become a teacher, manager, student, etc
▷ become /bɪˈkʌm/ [verb]
▪ Even when I was a kid, I wanted to become a psychologist.
▪ My friend Kyle stayed with the company and became a departmental manager.
▪ Bradley went on to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
▪ Every time you open the newspaper these days someone else has just become a millionaire.
▷ get to be /ˈget tə biː/ [verb phrase] informal
to succeed in getting an important job :
▪ She got to be a lawyer through sheer hard work and determination.
▪ I wanted to ask him how he got to be boss of such a big company.