Shifting States and Staying Put
6.3 🔄 Shifting States and Staying Put
Secondary linking verbs describe a subject entering a new state or maintaining an existing state over time (e.g., Become, Seem, Remain).
📊 State Change vs. State Continuation Matrix
| Verb Type | Key Verbs | Meaning | Real Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changing State | become, grow, turn, get | Moving into a brand-new condition | The weather became cold quickly. |
| Continuing State | remain, stay, keep | Continuing in the exact same condition | The laboratory remained sterile. |
| Appearing State | seem, appear | Outward impression or appearance | The solution seems feasible. |
📝 Real-World Examples Explained
1. State Transition (Become)
“After years of practice, David became an expert coder.”
- became: Describes the transition from a non-expert into an expert.
2. State Maintenance (Remain)
“Despite the system pressure, the core server remained operational.”
- remained: Shows that the server stayed operational without changing.
3. Impression Link (Seem)
“The proposed schedule seems reasonable to the management.”
- seems: Connects the proposed schedule to the impression reasonable.
🚫 Common Mistakes: Correct vs. Incorrect
1. Misusing “Become” with Present Tense Ongoing States
❌ Incorrect: “She is become tired after long shifts.”
✅ Correct: “She becomes tired after long shifts.” OR “She is getting tired after long shifts.”
Why it’s wrong: Become does not take a present continuous “is become” layout. Use simple present becomes or is getting.
✏️ Quick Quiz: Choose the State Verb!
Fill in the blank with became or remained:
“The office building ________ locked throughout the holiday weekend.”
🔑 Quiz Answers
remained (it stayed in the locked state over the entire weekend).