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Get, become, or turn
Get is the everyday way to say a state changes, become also works with nouns, and turn fits colors, ages, and turn into.
Quick rule
A state, in everyday speech? Get. A noun, or a more formal tone? Become. A color, an age, or into + noun? Turn.
With an adjective, it says that a state changes. It is the most common choice in speech: get tired, get dark.
To start to be something. It takes an adjective or a noun (become a doctor) and sounds more neutral or formal than get.
To change into another state, often a visible one: a color (turn red), an age (turn 30), or weather that changes suddenly. Before a noun, use turn into.
How to choose
| Question | get | become | turn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can it name what someone becomes with a + noun right after it (___ a doctor)? | No | Yes | SometimesSometimes |
| Does into come before the new thing (___ into a frog)? | No | No | Yes |
| Can an age come right after it (___ 30)? | No | No | Yes |
Why it trips people up
Get, become, and turn all describe change, but they differ in what can follow and in tone. Get is the everyday choice before an adjective (it's getting cold), become also takes a noun and sounds more formal, and turn suits colors, ages, and sudden changes (the weather turned cold).
How each one works
Get
A change of mood
I always get nervous before an exam.
Light or weather
It gets dark early in winter.
A change in progress: getting
Hurry up! The food is getting cold.
Become
With a noun: a job
She became a doctor at 26.
With a noun: what it ended up as
The song became a huge hit.
With an adjective, in a more formal tone
It became clear that the plan wasn't working.
Turn
A color
The leaves turn red in the fall.
An age: turning a number
My son turns ten next week.
Turn into + noun
The party turned into a disaster.
What comes next
get plus adjective
Don't get angry. It was an accident.
get plus comparative (better, worse)
The traffic is getting worse every year.
become plus a/an plus noun
He wants to become a pilot.
become plus adjective (more formal)
The situation became dangerous.
turn plus color, or weather that changes suddenly
The weather turned cold overnight.
turn into plus noun
The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.
Set phrases
Get
- get the hang of
- to learn how to do or use something after some practice
Become
- what became of...?
- used to ask what happened to someone or something over time
Turn
- turn over a new leaf
- to change your way of life and start behaving better
- turn a blind eye
- to pretend not to notice something wrong so you do not have to act
Almost the same
She got angry.
A change of mood in everyday talk: get is the natural choice.
She became angry.
Same meaning, but it sounds more formal, as in a report or a novel.
The meeting became a fight.
Before a noun, become needs nothing in between.
The meeting turned into a fight.
Turn needs into before the noun.
In a conversation
- A:
You look pale. Are you OK?
- B:
Not really. I get nervous when I speak in public.
- A:
Me too. Last year my face turned red in the middle of my talk.
- B:
And look at you now. You've become a great speaker!
Common mistakes
Wrong: She got a teacher after college.
Right: She became a teacher after college.
Got a teacher means she found one. For a job someone starts to do, use become.
Wrong: The sky turned into dark.
Right: The sky turned dark.
Turn into takes a noun (turned into a storm). Before an adjective, use turn alone.
Memory trick
Get is the everyday one: get tired, get hungry. Become is the biography one: she became a doctor. Turn is the one you can see or count: leaves turn red, you turn 30.
It depends
- Turn + noun without into
- It happens in set patterns like a lawyer turned politician (someone who used to be a lawyer). Otherwise, a noun needs turn into.
- Grow
- Grow describes a change that happens gradually: grow old, grow impatient. The grow vs get page compares it with get.
FAQ
Get or become: which is correct?
Before an adjective, both can be: get tired is everyday, become tired is more formal. Before a noun, get doesn't work for a change: become a nurse.
Get, become, turn, or grow?
Grow is for slow change (grow old). Turn covers colors, ages, sudden changes of weather, and turn into + noun. Get and become cover most other changes.