Will GOING TO overtake WILL?

Guest   Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:23 pm GMT
"will be going to" is only used when you're actually talking about going somewhere. There's no special meaning to it like there is for just "be going to". For example, you can say "I will be going to the store at 5 tomorrow." but "I will be going to eat." sounds funny in most situations. The only time I can think of where you could use it would be as an answer to the question "Why are you going there?" In that case, "to eat" would be acceptable because it would have the meaning of "for the purpose of eating". You can use this structure with any verb, so it's not something unique to the verb "go". You could say "I'll be parking my car in lot 5.", for example.
Travis   Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:57 pm GMT
To me at least, "will be going to" is perfectly grammatical as a combined modal and quasimodal construction, albeit a bit lengthy. For example, one can say "I'll be going to do that soon"; such might be lengthy, but it is still definitely grammatical. The thing you must remember is that quasimodals in English can generally be used like normal verbs, including using other modals or quasimodals with them.
Guest   Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:01 pm GMT
I've never seen that usage before.
Ryan   Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:37 pm GMT
"I'll be going to do that soon" only makes grammatical sense when it connotes actually traveling to a new location in order to do something, which is not the same as the phrase "going to" as a marker of the immediate future, such as "I am going to tie my shoes" (not actually moving to a new place to do it). Otherwise, the correct grammatical phrasing would be "I am going to do that soon."
Jim   Wed Jul 04, 2007 2:17 pm GMT
I find "will be going to" quite a natural form. I don't believe you have to be travelling to a new location. It would be quite normal to use this without any expectation of a change in location -- a change in situation would do it.
Guest   Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:02 pm GMT
I don't thnk so, Jim.
beneficii   Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:25 pm GMT
how about "fixing to"?
__guest   Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:46 pm GMT
<< For example, one can say "I'll be going to do that soon"; >>

I suppose this could also be: "I'll be gonna do that soon"

I have to agree with the other guest. I don't hear either of these very much (if at all) around here. I live in upstate NY -- maybe it's common elsewhere?
furrykef   Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:15 pm GMT
<< how about "fixing to"? >>

Many people hate the phrase "fixing to". At the very least, it's very colloquial, and it also strikes me as U.S. Southern/AAVE speech.

- Kef
Guest   Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:21 am GMT
<Many people hate the phrase "fixing to".>

How can anyone hate a phrase?
Milton   Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:24 pm GMT
I guess you can replace FIXING TO with PLANNING TO/ON
Guest   Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:00 pm GMT
<I guess you can replace FIXING TO with PLANNING TO/ON >

In which register and which text type?
Travis   Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:13 pm GMT
>>Many people hate the phrase "fixing to". At the very least, it's very colloquial, and it also strikes me as U.S. Southern/AAVE speech.<<

I would say that it is dialect-specific, being limited to primarily southern NAE and AAVE dialects. It is not a general feature of colloquial NAE, one must remember.

And yes, people do look down upon it, unlike some other dialect-specific usages, such as "you guys", which can be found in even moderately formal speech in practice. Such, of course, is most likely due to its association with southern NAE and AAVE dialects more than anything else.
furrykef   Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:07 pm GMT
<< How can anyone hate a phrase? >>

Ask an English teacher. ;)
Jim   Sat Jul 14, 2007 6:44 am GMT
I'm going to doubt that "going to" will overtake will. We need that willpower.