to be vs to become a

The phrases "to be" and "to become a" are not directly comparable as they serve different purposes. "To be" is used to indicate a state of being or existence, while "to become a" is used to describe a transformation or change into something. Both phrases are correct in their respective contexts.

Last updated: March 24, 2024 • 1103 views

The phrase "to be" is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a state of being or existence.

"to be"

Use "to be" to describe a state of being, identity, or existence. It is often used with adjectives, nouns, or prepositional phrases to convey information about a subject.

Examples:

I want to be happy.
She is a doctor.
They are at the park.

Show examples from the web [+]

Vampires who pretend to be humans pretending to be vampires.
This task will define the aspects to be validated in the SI-Screen system (services to be offered, overall design) and the methodologies to be used.
Rugs made to be stroked and a stand to be experienced.
Do not allow yourselves to be targets, to be manipulated and controlled.
The building needs to be renovated to be made habitable.
And to be suspicious of others is to be jealous.
I need him to be desperate, to be convincing.
I want to be burnt and never to be found.
At least one candidate has to be genuine for the test to be viable.
The ship appears to be in good condition and seems to be inhabited.
It's better to be a number than to be known.
You seem determined to be seen to be better than your neighbours.
Everything that comes in the bubble has to be disassembled to be sterilized.
I suppose you got to be smart these days to be a criminal.
I think people want to be allowed to be virtuous.
You got to be old-fashioned to be born in Mississippi.
People want to be allowed to be virtuous.
It was found to be too fragmentary to be diagnosable and therefore represents a nomen dubium.
First, it needed to be bright enough to be usable for sightings.
At first the friendly Azumi tries to be nice to Chizuru, only to be harshly rejected.

Alternatives:

to exist as
to remain
to stay

The phrase "to become a" is correct and commonly used in English to describe a transformation or change into something.

"to become a "

Use "to become a" to indicate a process of transformation or change into a specific role, identity, or state. It is often followed by a noun or noun phrase.

Examples:

She wants to become a teacher.
He became a successful businessman.
They will become parents soon.

Show examples from the web [+]

Ryutaro sees past his mistakes... to become a true samurai.
You will receive guidance to become a productive citizen and come to understand that actions have consequences.
Charlie's father advised him to become a teacher.
She chose to become a demon - twice.
The Union must actively engage to become a genuine peace player .
Your loyalty is starting to become a liability.
I'm about to become a really terrible lawyer.
Zod is the only person responsible for choosing to become a monster.
I have tried to become a good Christian.
Maybe he'll decide to become a doctor.
Now, he used those contacts to become a fixer.
His dream was to become a Turkish bath masseur.
Probably about the same time you decided to become a fugitive.
So I'm going to apply to become a spaceman.
You're studying to become a Jedi.
Then I joined the circus to become a clown fighter.
You have lots of time to become a prince.
I had hoped to become a hero.
And along the way, learns to become a better father.
Been selected to become a librarian.

Alternatives:

to turn into a
to transform into a
to evolve into a

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to be vs to become a

"to be"

"to become a "

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