to become of
58
4.6
- phrasal verb
- /bɪˈkʌm ʌv/
:
pasar (a alguien/algo)
- We often wonder what will become of the town after the factory closes.
- what became of
- what becomes of
- what becomes of individuals
What has become of their small plots of land?
- What has become of their small plots of land?
- So I have very little sympathy for what has become of that state.
- You can be the most talented person, but if you don't have that determination and drive, then what will become of it?
- I don't know what eventually became of Stamenson, but Merrill paid out obviously much more in fines than Stamenson ever brought in in profits.
- And we really did not know what was going to become of me like really quick.
- And that dad, I don't know whatever became of him, but for seven years and he would call me and he never got closure.
Examples
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What has become of their small plots of land?
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Oh, I don't know what will become of me if you don't help me.
-
What will become of you when we leave?
-
And what has become of this man?
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What will become of Britain is not our concern anymore.
-
What became of the crew?
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What would become of Manchester United?
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We wondered what became of you.
-
Then he said, "I think you will determine what is to become of you, Walker."
Fiction book (1991) -
What then must become of the Royal Navy is too evident," he declared.
Academic text (2007)
Surface Forms
Morphology
become + of
The meaning 'to happen to / be the fate of' is related to 'become' (change into a state) combined with the relational preposition 'of', so a learner who knows the constituents can get a general sense that it asks what will happen to something. However, the fixed usage 'what will become of X' as a question about fate/outcome is a conventionalized construction that is not fully predictable from the parts alone and often requires exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Become of comes from the simple picture that become means 'change into' and the little word of points to who or what is affected, like asking what a lost seed will 'become of' when you wonder its future. So, when someone asks 'What will become of them?' they mean 'what will happen to' or 'what will be the fate of' that person or thing.