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On the one hand,

During the course of the summer, Esther got engaged.

sounds weak and informal. On the other hand,

During the course of the summer, Esther became engaged.

sounds weird, like saying Esther "became robbed."

Which is correct and could both of them be used?

finel
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    Both forms are common in British English. The only difference would be that "became" is more formal. Compare: "She got ill" & "She became ill"; and many other similar expressions. – TrevorD May 13 '16 at 14:23
  • The first is perhaps the lesser of two evils. I suspect that you're a Brit as you react so badly to the get-passive, but this is not too rational an opinion. Few people would bat an eyelid at 'got married'. – Edwin Ashworth May 13 '16 at 14:25
  • I guess my initial reaction, particularly since this a legal document, to "became engaged" was that it felt as awkward as saying "became married" or "became fired." With the "fired" example, at least it's editable to "was fired," and you even have the option of "was wed" in place of "became married." I'm frustrated by the lack of flexibility here. Maybe the problem is with the setup, "[d]uring the course of the summer"? – finel May 13 '16 at 14:52
  • "...was engaged." fits, peachy, too. – The Nate May 13 '16 at 18:25
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    Became has a different aspect than got (or was). It tends to denote an advancement or progression, not merely a changed state. And It has an ongoing aspect. "He got his Eagle Scout (badge)." "He became an Eagle Scout". This may be related to the idea that become can be used for gradual changes. Got engaged seems to draw attention to the transition itself, while became engaged maintains focus on the person. – Phil Sweet May 13 '16 at 19:33
  • For me as a non-native speaker, became engaged sounds like someone else made the decision for her. She had no say in the decision, it just happened. – pipe May 13 '16 at 19:57
  • @pipe Maybe, but I think cultural expectations will dominate here (the implied aspect doesn't make sense today, and there are other options). However - "She had an eventful year - she got engaged and moved to Aruba" vs "She had an eventful year - she became engaged and moved to Aruba" - The first one suggests the two events are linked. The second one leaves the matter open. – Phil Sweet May 13 '16 at 20:14

3 Answers3

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This is the Get-Passive, a variant of the Be-Passive. The difference is explained in the link.
Get is the inchoative form of be, so it already means come to be, or become; there's no difference.

Both are grammatical rules of English, and neither one is more correct than the other.
Like almost everything in English grammar, there are a lot of correct ways to say things.

Community
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John Lawler
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  • Thanks for the link. I am really curious and I would be reluctant to use "he became engaged" because to engage is an action. Will you disagree? –  May 13 '16 at 17:59
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    It has nothing to do with the subcategorization of engage. Engaged is a stative predicate like scared or worried, and has a beginning that can be referred to with get or become. – John Lawler May 13 '16 at 18:04
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    Couldn't ping you there because you didn't comment, but thanks for the edit on my sloppy post- was being (physically) dragged off the computer to do social programme duties at my college and could barely put in the last full stop. Much appreciated. Thanks very much. – Araucaria - Him May 17 '16 at 18:07
  • As an addendum, I was kind of thinking of you when I wrote that question, and was wondering what your take might be. – Araucaria - Him May 17 '16 at 18:14
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You say that someone is engaged to the person they are going to marry. ...

You "get" engaged. You dont "become" engaged. You "get" yourself into being engaged in the relationship. You dont "become" engaged, as nothing to do with your personality changes. Since the context your using the word engaged here is a verb and not an adjective. Its best for you to use "Got engaged" http://www.dictionary.com/browse/engage

Najeeba Fathima
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I would use "became engaged" in this context.

Got engaged seems like someone got engaged for a moment and then got disengaged, but in the given context ("During the course of summer"), became engaged sounds like the engagement went on for a little while (During the entire course of summer) .

Rand al'Thor
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Shweta Singh
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  • But without authoritative support, this is merely an opinion and should be given as a 'comment' rather than an 'answer'. FWIW, I wouldn't use 'became engaged' as I agree with OP that it sounds vaguely ridiculous. – Edwin Ashworth May 13 '16 at 14:28
  • Please explain why. – TrevorD May 13 '16 at 14:29
  • @EdwinAshworth I agree - but doesn't one need a certain minimum reputation before comments can be made? I saw an answer yesterday where someone specifically said that added an 'Anser' instead of a comment because that didn't have the necessary rep.. – TrevorD May 13 '16 at 14:32
  • @TevorD Minimum qualifications are required for a reason. One needs to have a certain standard of proficiency to be accepted on a university course. One doesn't just force one's way in, however attractive a certain course might appear. ELU has requirements in order to maintain standards. We've all had to adhere to these, and have managed to amass sufficient reputation. – Edwin Ashworth May 13 '16 at 14:36
  • Got engaged seems like someone got engaged for a moment and then got disengaged, but in the given context, ("During the course of summer"), became sounds like the engagement went on for a little while(During the entire course of summer) – Shweta Singh May 13 '16 at 14:42
  • ... but 'got married' is standard for the punctive event marking the start of the stative ... er ... state. – Edwin Ashworth May 13 '16 at 14:48