have been becoming?

[Heidi]

Dear teachers,

Does the sentence below sound natural to you? Is it grammatically correct to use 'become' in the present perfect prograssive tense? Thank you!

- Riding on an airplane has been becoming more and more safe over the years.

[Raymott]

Dear teachers,

Does the sentence below sound natural to you? Is it grammatically correct to use 'become' in the present perfect prograssive tense? Thank you!

- Riding on an airplane has been becoming more and more safe over the years.

Yes, it's good. However, "becoming safer" is better than "becoming more and more safe". Or, "It's becoming increasingly safe ..."
You can also say, "It's been getting safer to fly over recent years."

[emsr2d2]

Yes, it's good. However, "becoming safer" is better than "becoming more and more safe". Or, "It's becoming increasingly safe ..."
You can also say, "It's been getting safer to fly over recent years."

I agree with Raymott and I would add that simply saying "Flying..." would be more natural than "Riding on an airplane..."

[Heidi]

Thank you.

- Flying an airplane HAS been becoming safer over recent years.
I have a question about "have been becoming". My teacher at school says that "Jenny has been getting a cold for the last week" is incorrect. But I don't get it. Don't 'become' and 'get' both have the same meaning? Why is one correct while the other is incorrect?

[emsr2d2]

Thank you.

- Flying an airplane HAS been becoming safer over recent years.
I have a question about "have been becoming". My teacher at school says that "Jenny has been getting a cold for the last week" is incorrect. But I don't get it. Don't 'become' and 'get' both have the same meaning? Why is one correct while the other is incorrect?

1. "Flying an airplane" is different from "flying on an airplane". "Flying an airplane" is what the pilot does. Hopefully, it's always safe for the pilot!

2. "To get a cold / to catch a cold" is the phrase we use for that particular illness. We don't "become" a cold. That suggests that you are changing your body from being a person to being a cold (obviously impossible!)

"To get" and "to become" are interchangeable when followed by an adjective:

I'm getting fat.
I'm becoming fat.

He's getting tired.
He's becoming tired.

It's getting cold.
It's becoming cold.

When followed by a noun, "to get" means "to obtain" or similar.

[Heidi]

1. "Flying an airplane" is different from "flying on an airplane". "Flying an airplane" is what the pilot does. Hopefully, it's always safe for the pilot!

2. "To get a cold / to catch a cold" is the phrase we use for that particular illness. We don't "become" a cold. That suggests that you are changing your body from being a person to being a cold (obviously impossible!)

"To get" and "to become" are interchangeable when followed by an adjective:

I'm getting fat.
I'm becoming fat.

He's getting tired.
He's becoming tired.

It's getting cold.
It's becoming cold.

When followed by a noun, "to get" means "to obtain" or similar.

But my teacher at school says that we should say "flying on an airplane HAS BECOME safer over the years", not 'has been becoming'. How come that is? I don't get it.

[5jj]

But my teacher at school says that we should say "flying on an airplane HAS BECOME safer over the years", not 'has been becoming'. How come that is? I don't get it.

Your teacher is giving a 'rule' that is generally sound; it is just not absolute.

[Tdol]

Mind you, if they said should, they're not laying down the law

[Heidi]

Dear teachers,

Would you please tell me whether the sentence below makes sense? If not, please tell me the reason. Thank you!

- Jenny has been becoming ill for the last week.

[5jj]

- Jenny has been becoming ill for the last week.

It makes sense only if Jenny is the sort of person who is always complaining about beginning to feel the first signs of impending illness.