We can see the shrine "become/becomes" big?

Question

I'm correcting some writing and the student wrote, > We can see the shrine **become** big, little by little, from the ferry.As far as I'm concerned, it's grammatically okay, but I'm having trouble explaining why it shouldn't be 'becomes big'. For the life of me I couldn't find the correct way to refer to the grammar involved here. Also, I feel like *becoming bigger* or *getting bigger* might convey her meaning more accurately, but that *become big* still gets a pass. Am I right?I appreciate any help you can give me.

Answer 1

It is grammatically correct to leave the word as "become," because the student is writing in the present tense although they may not realize that is so. "Become" is the present tense which is why it should remain as so. The student continues the compound sentence after the word "become" which also confirms it is grammatically correct. In reading it out loud you can attest to this.