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Is this correct?

m0nsterunderurbed
"The United States could be about to get a whole lot bigger—imagine Greenland as the 52nd state. If that ever happens, the U.S. would leapfrog Canada to become the second-largest country in the world." Why it feels like could be about to get is wrong?

4 comments

notacanuckskibum•
“Is about to become” would be more correct and formal than “is about to get”. But “get” is used that way, to become rather than acquire.
BingBongDingDong222•
"Could be about to get" is fine. But per the story, what would the 51st state be? And the answer can't be be "Canada" due to context.
SnooDonuts6494•
It's kinda OK, not great. I'd probably write, "The US could be getting a whole lot bigger" or "The US might get much bigger", or "The US may be getting a whole lot bigger". In that last example, "may" is more British-English, but "whole lot" is more American, so it's still a little odd. A British headline might say, "The US may become much larger".
Tromsk•
"Could be about to get" is fine, but it sounds a little clunky when read aloud. "May get" or "may become" would also be fine, and "rolls off the tongue" better (an idiom for "sounds nicer"). If you encounter a similar feeling in the future, try writing the same thing more concisely and see how it sounds!