verb
1
BAD : Eventually I became to like Singapore.
GOOD : Eventually I came to like Singapore.
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Become means 'start to be' and is followed by an adjective or noun (NOT a verb): 'We didn't meet again until after she had become famous.' 'Brunei became an independent member of the Commonwealth in 1984.'
When talking about a gradual change in the way a person feels or thinks about someone or something, use come/grow + to-v (NOT become ): 'Although she had come to dislike her boss, she tried not to let it show.' 'As the months passed, I actually grew to enjoy his company.'
2
BAD : When my first child was born, I became to think seriously about my future.
GOOD : When my first child was born, I began to think seriously about my future.
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begin/start to do sth (NOT become ): 'My evenings were free and so I began to learn German.'
3
BAD : The housing problem in Hong Kong becomes more serious.
GOOD : The housing problem in Hong Kong is becoming more serious.
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To refer to something that is still happening or taking place, use the present progressive tense of become : 'It's becoming difficult to find somewhere to park.'
4
See BLIND (↑ blind ), DARK (↑ dark ) , MAD 1 (↑ mad ) , TRUE