Common Mistakes : Become

verb

.BAD: Eventually I became to like Singapore

.GOOD: Eventually I came to like Singapore

(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

.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

(Begin/start to do sth (NOT become

.My evenings were free and so I began to learn German

.BAD: Nowadays is very difficult to get a job

.GOOD: Nowadays it is very difficult to get a job

.BAD: The housing problem in Hong Kong becomes more serious

.GOOD: The housing problem in Hong Kong is becoming more serious

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