And likely to become more so before the end.

I pointed out that when we last met she seemed to be becoming more political in her attitude almost before our eyes.

By then he had also moved into circus management, becoming performance director before his retirement in 1991.

He joined the club almost a year after nearly becoming their manager before Hughes' appointment.

But the safety of judges was becoming a national concern even before the recent incidents.

He became ill just before the season and lost 15 pounds.

She later discovered he had been killed only yards away from her, the two having become separated minutes before the blast.

The coronation did not take place because the king became ill just before the big day.

London was becoming a modern metropolis before the eyes of its citizens.

I hadn't yet become psychologically oriented the summer before last.