English is full of different words which have similar meanings. It is important to be able to tell the difference between these two verbs, because many writers make this mistake. If a writer shows a tendency towards confusing the two words, they may need to seek further instructions on how to correctly use the verbs. This article will work as a guide to know where to use the two words correctly.
Summary Table
| Became | Become |
| Can be used with subject | Can’t be used with subject |
| Changes to a new state | Starts in a new state |
| Past tense form | Present and past participle form |
Definitions
Become is an intransitive verb (it does not take a direct object) so it does not have a direct object. It cannot be used with a subject, but you can use it if you want to talk about something that has been changed into a state.
On the other hand, became is also an intransitive verb so it does not have a direct object. However, we can use it with a subject so that the verb will be in the past tense.
Became vs Become
Became vs. become are two ways of saying the same thing: to turn into, or transform from one state or condition to another. However, they still have differences to note.
Became means that something changes into a new state, whilst become means that something starts in a new state. For example, if you go to the store and buy some bread, it did not become bread. It became bread when you took it home and made it into toast.
Used with nouns, became is the past participle of become, while became is its past tense form. To make this distinction clear, it’s helpful to remember that the past tense of become means “to become.” So if you have a sentence like “We became friends,” you know that it means “We became good friends.”
But by itself, became is the past tense form of become. So it can be used to indicate that something came into existence in a specific way: “I became a rock star.” For example, if you were asked to explain your past, you could say “We became friends.” But if you were asked how long it took to become a rock star, then the word became would work just fine.
Became is the past tense of become, and it means the same thing. It is not really a verb. It merely describes the process of changing from one state to another. Become has two meanings: to get, or to come into existence; and it can also mean to change into an existing condition or form. When used as a verb, it means to change from one state or condition to another.
