なる vs する 3: ようにする・ようになる

Introduction

Steve has been on a bit of a philosophy kick recently. He's been pondering the difference between "doing" and "becoming".

"How are they even different, bro?" he asks Mike.

"What are you talking about?" Mike replies.

"You wouldn't get it, Mike" Steve mutters, clasping his little velociraptor claws together in contemplation.

Battle of the 〜ようにs

Today we're going to spend some time comparing a 〜ようにする sentence with a ～ようになる sentence. This may seem like a very trivial thing to compare, but because both of these patterns are so common, it's worth examining their quirks and quibbles.

If you remember from your previous lesson, 「Xように」 describes something being "in the form (or 様よう) of X". Now you'll be learning how we can add する or なる to adjust the way in which "X" is in said "form".