Difference between Turn, Become, Get, and Go

The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.

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Words like turn, become, get, and go are used to describe changes and transformations – but many learners confuse them. Read this lesson to learn the difference!

Turn

Use turn for colors:

• Bananas turn black if you put them in the refrigerator.
• The sky turned pink and orange during the sunset.
• My uncle’s hair is turning white.

Use turn into when talking about a complete transformation:

• The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.
• The couch in the living room can turn into a bed.
• My dream turned into a nightmare.

Get

In informal English, use get with emotions:

• I got angry when my colleague said things about me that weren’t true.
• My son’s getting excited about his birthday party next week. He’ll be 5.
• We always get really bored in History class.

You can also use get with comparative adjectives:

• It’s gotten more expensive to buy an apartment in this city.
• I’m getting better at playing the piano – I’ve been practicing a lot.
• It’s getting easier and easier for me to understand movies in English!

Become

Become can be used with emotions and comparative adjectives in more formal English:

• My sister became depressed after she moved to a new city.
• It’s becoming more difficult to balance work and life in the modern world.

Always use become with professions (never “get”)

• My son is studying really hard. He wants to become a lawyer someday.
• Shirley Temple became a famous actress when she was just four years old.

[notice]Use get with “used to”

• I’ve gotten used to taking cold showers.
• We never got used to driving on the opposite side of the road while we lived in England.

[/notice]

Go

Use go with these specific words:

• go crazy
• go blind / go deaf
• go bald
• go bad (when food or drink becomes bad and you can’t eat it)