Traditionally, "became" is the past tense of the verb "to become", which is a linking verb. Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a noun, pronoun, or adjective that describes or identifies the subject.
However, "became" can be considered a state of being verb when used in a specific grammatical construction called the past perfect tense.
Here's an example:
* "He had become a doctor."
In this sentence, "had become" functions as a past perfect tense, indicating a state of being that existed in the past. The verb "became" is used to link the subject "he" to the predicate nominative "a doctor".
Therefore, while "became" is not typically considered a state of being verb, it can function as one in the context of the past perfect tense.