get, go, turn, grow 均可用作连系动词,表示变化,它的区别主要在以下几个方面(顺便也讲讲表示变化的 come 与 become)。
1. become 和get主要指一个人暂时性的身心变化或永久性的自然变化:
become [get] angry, famous, fat, ill, old, well, deaf, strong, etc 生气,成名,发胖,得病,变老,痊愈,变聋,变强,等
另外,become 和 get 还可用于指天气的变化和社会的趋势:
It's becoming [getting] cold (dark, cloudy, etc). 天渐冷了(黑了,多云了等)。
Divorce is becoming [getting] more common. 离婚现象越来越常见了。
2. go 和come表示变化时,前者主要指一种由强到弱或由好到坏的变化(可用于人或事物),后者则主要指向好的方面变化:
go bald (deaf, insane, etc) 发秃,变聋,发疯等。
The meat's gone off (gone bad). 肉变味(变坏)了。
The radio's gone wrong. 收音机出毛病了。
Her wish came true. 她的愿望实现了。
Everything came right. 一切顺利。
另外,go还可用于人或事物颜色的变色,与turn用法相同:
She went [turned] blue with cold. 她冻得脸色发青了。
The rotten meat went [turned] green. 这块腐烂的肉变绿了。
【注】① 但是 go 一般不与 old, tired, ill 等连用,遇此情况要用其他连系动词:grow [get] old 变老,fall [become] ill (sick) 生病,get [feel] tired 疲劳
② go后接形容词通常表示的结果(见上例),在个别搭配中也表示现状:go hungry 挨饿,go naked 光着身子
③ come 除表示向好的方面变化外,还有以下常见搭配值得注意:come untied 解开,come loose 变松,come undone 松开
3. grow 主要表示逐渐变化,强调变化的过程:
It began to grow dark. 天色渐渐黑了。
The sea is growing calm. 大海变得平静起来。
The pollution problem is growing serious. 污染问题日见严峻。
4. 以上连系动词通常接形容词作表语,但有的还可接其他结构,如come, get, grow后可接不定式,become, turn后可接名词,get, grow后可接介词短语:
You'll soon grow to like her. 你很快就会喜欢她的。
It's becoming a serious problem.它正在成为一个严重问题。
The little plant grew into a tree. 幼苗长成了一棵树。
They went out of fashion years ago.它们好多年前已变得不时新了。
【注】turn后接名词时,往往表示意想不到的变化,名词前通常用零冠词:
He turned writer after he graduated from a medical college. 他从医学院毕业后当了作家。(比较:He became a writer after graduating from college.)