Is there any verb, or even slang, that can be used in place of "has turned into" when talking specifically about something that has changed for the worse, as in the example below?
It's sad to see how a neighborhood that was once so beautiful and well-kept has turned into a decrepit and abandoned place like this.
I mean, when the simple use of a certain verb or slang already predicts that the change that will be talked about was a change for the worse.
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3My suggestion: Take a word such as deteriorate and research it in a thesaurus.– Peter KirkpatrickCommented Jul 15 at 6:08
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4 Answers
- Has fallen into
- Has sunk into
- Has plunged into
- Has spiralled into
- Has slipped into
- Has declined into
- Has deteriorated into
- Has devolved into
- Has slumped into
- Has collapsed into
- Has tumbled into
- Has degenerated into
Note that some words, such as 'deteriorated' or 'decayed' might suggest that the worsening is natural due to time.
Phrases such as "slipped into" or "tumbled into" might suggest accidental, unintentional missteps that led to the worsening.
"Sunk into" or "degenerated into" might suggest intentional lowering of standards.
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1Thank you Astralbee for such a detailed and informative response. I had already found some of these options in my research but your list is much more comprehensive, some of your suggestions I have not found anywhere and I will be considering each of them. Thank you in the same way to all the other responses I received, they were all very helpful.– ItamarCommented Jul 15 at 15:27
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2I'm not sure that all of these work with a following object, like "has plunged into a decrepit place." That seems to suggest physical motion rather than change. I'm a big fan, though, of "devolve" for the OP's case. Commented Jul 15 at 16:54
Such a construction excludes many possibilities as it needs a linking verb. We could consider became:
It's sad to see how a neighborhood that was once so beautiful and well-kept [became] a decrepit and abandoned place like this.
The verb itself doesn’t have indications of such deterioration, and hence readers can’t predict the change from the verb alone, but its complement explains it clearly.
answered Jul 15 at 4:15
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3You might want to change [become] in the quote to [became], to make it grammatically correct (or maybe that’s what the square brackets mean).– DaemonsCommented Jul 15 at 8:34
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1The square brackets tell readers the words in them are newly inserted or corrected. Commented Jul 15 at 9:01
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3"See a neighborhood become" sounds fine. "See how a neighborhood become" sounds wrong.– ThierryCommented Jul 15 at 16:49
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1Thanks! @Thierry. You’re right. The verb in the subordinate clause is finite, and became is right. Hi, Lambie, using square brackets is what some style guides recommend for changes. We can also just bold the words to emphasise them. Commented Jul 15 at 23:08
One option is deteriorated:
become progressively worse. "relations between the countries had deteriorated sharply"
Another option is decayed:
having fallen into disrepair; deteriorated. "the restoration of decayed churches"
Both fit what you’re asking for (they both describe negative change), and neither are slang. I would lean towards deteriorated, as decay is generally a bit more natural, if that makes sense (think of dying plant life).
clears his throat Gentlemen,
Bulk-reply to Seowjooheng's reply "We could consider 'become'" and to Daemon's reply "Change 'become' to 'became'", and to Seowjooheng's reply "'see a neighbourhood become' is correct - we use the bare form after verbs of perception", and to Thierry's reply "'See a neighborhood become' sounds fine - 'See how a neighborhood become' sounds wrong."
My first thought was 'become', too. As Seowjooheng's said, the word by itself is mostly non-judgmental - but depending on corresponding adjectives and advebs you can make the statement indicate as needed. Next, if either 'become' or 'became' or 'becoming' or whatsoever is correct, is determined by the tense you intend to use: the neighborhood 'becomes', 'became', 'has become'. 'is becoming', 'will become', 'is going to become', 'will have become' ... oh and Seowjooheng: WE don't just use any "bare-form" (infinitve!) after verbs of perception. WE determine the correct form to use, looking (mostly) at tense, aspect, mood and voice. (If anyone is intested in reading more about this: "Wikipedia (EN) - Verb")
Check out this comprehensive list of conjugations of the verb 'become' - I'm sure you will easily find the correct one for you to use!
I hope I did not appear too patronizing - sorry if so. When it comes to linguistics, I sometimes can get a little too ardant, since it's one of my favorite hobbies. I just tried to make sure the information given would be correct rather than confusing or even misleading.
Anyway, I hope you got your answers. Live long and prosper!
Kuromaku Tattva
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As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please edit to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.– Community BotCommented Jul 16 at 20:54