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Pronunciation Guide
Today’s example is very short, so you should be able to master it pretty quickly. Here are some places that might give you some trouble.
“Never fear” – The ‘v’ sound and ‘f’ sound combination might cause some problems for some people. Practive by saying it very slow, and increase the speed until it feels like you can say it easier.
“what will” – In speech, this will almost always be shortened to ‘what’ll’. Alone, this sounds like a completely different word.
“depend on” – First, ‘depend’ is accented because it is an important word. It is then connected with ‘on’ to so that it sounds like, “duhpen don”.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask in the comments.
Listen to the audio, try to shadow, and write your own notes. Then click ‘Compare’. Practice shadowing the audio with your notes.
Explanation
There are two phrasal verbs in today’s example, but I’d like to just focus on ‘become of’. You can learn about ‘depend on’ here.
Here are the most common ways you’ll see the phrase used:
“What will become of (someone or something)”
“What (or Whatever) became of (someone or something).”
What has become of (someone or something)
Using ‘become of’ in these ways is not very difficult. Basically, if you use ‘become of’ to ask about something or someone, you are wondering:
“What has happened to someone or something”, or “What will happen to someone or something”
One thing that might be difficult is when you hear ‘becoming of (someone)’. This can mean something is very suiting to you. For example, if I said, “That coat is very becoming of you,” this means that you look great in the coat. This is kind of a fashionable sounding way to tell someone they look nice.
‘Become of’ can sometimes sounds a little formal, so pay attention to the different situations you find it. This should help you understand when it is best to say it.
Situations & Examples
Read the situations, but write down your own sentence using today’s target. When you finish, click ‘Show Example’. Share your own sentences in the comments!
Situation #1
You and a friend are watching the Euro Cup at a sports bar. You start talking about how you think your favorite teams will do in the tournament. After talking about a couple of teams, you want to ask your friend how he thinks Germany will do. You ask,
Situation #2
Your ten year high school reunion was a few weeks ago. You weren’t able to go, but you were talking to a friend who could. He tells you it wasn’t all that interesting, but it was nice to catch up with a few people. He mentioned a guy named Bobby. In school, Bobby was really smart and everyone thought he would do big things. When your friend mentions Bobby, you ask about what he became and wonder if he has a Nobel Prize yet. You ask,
Situation #3
You’ve been really busy at work with a design project for a client. When you get home, your husband says you look tired. He then asks you about how the project is going. He says,
Situation #4
You are talking to your friend about school. The classes this semester have been really hard, and you haven’t been able to get the grades you want. You explain this to your friend by asking what is wrong. You say,
