# GO + ing



## Nacholympic

Hi everyone!

  When I'm teaching the future GOING TO, there are many exercises which contains GOING TO GO + ing such as
THEY ARE GOING TO GO DANCING
I'M GOING TO GO SHOPPING....

I'm not sure how to explain this... Why do you use 
THEY ARE GOING TO GO DANCING instead THEY ARE GOING TO DANCE?

What is the very difference?

Thanks all beforehands!


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## ChilenoAlemánCanadá

Saying _They are going to go dancing_ has a slightly different meaning than _They are going to dance_.

_Bob is going to dance_ = Bob is already at the party and will dance shortly.

_Bob is going to go dancing_ = Bob is somewhere else and will go to the party soon, where he will dance.

I hope this has been helpful.


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## Nacholympic

ChilenoAlemánCanadá said:


> Saying _They are going to go dancing_ has a slightly different meaning than _They are going to dance_.
> 
> _Bob is going to dance_ = Bob is already at the party and will dance shortly.
> 
> _Bob is going to go dancing_ = Bob is somewhere else and will go to the party soon, where he will dance.
> 
> I hope this has been helpful.


 


thanks! I thought it was clear for me....
But it sort of hart to explain it to the students.. They write sentences like
I'M GOING TO GO COOKING
or
I'M GOING TO GO PLAYING SOCCER TO THE PARK
And they ask "Is it correct? Can i say that?"
What could be my answer?


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## ChilenoAlemánCanadá

Yes, I myself am finding it a bit hard to explain. At the moment, I can't think of any examples to help you with. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Maybe someone else?


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## Nacholympic

I explain like this:

"When you need to go somewhere to do something, you use GO + ing (I'm going to go dancing) because you can not dance at home, but you need to go somewhere, a disco for isntance. 
 You can say I'M GOING TO GO READING if you go to a library, for instance..."
When they say "I'M GOING TO GO COOKING" I ask inmediatly.. "WHERE?" ....

Is it correct?


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## ChilenoAlemánCanadá

I guess my explanation gave the wrong impression. I don't think it's _whenever_ you need to go somewhere to do something, I think it's just used in certain cases. I only explained it the way I did because it made sense to me, although now I see my explanation wasn't adequate. So, I come to the conclusion that, while going somewhere to do something has to do with it, it is not the sole factor that determines which structure should be used. Maybe you'll just have to memorize when that structure can be used.

PS: I'm sorry my thoughts seem to be all over the place. Sometimes it's hard to express what I'm thinking. You should probably wait for some other responses.


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## Forero

Bienvenidos al foro, Nacholympic y ChilenoAlemánCanadá.

This is a very interesting question. I have thought about this sort of thing before, but I don't have a completely satisfying answer. Here's my take on the subject:

Normally what CAC says is true: The _go -ing_ construction involves going somewhere where  one will be _-ing_ (engaging in an activity), but ambiguities abound.
_ 
Going swimming_ is notoriously ambiguous. It might mean "going somewhere where one will be swimming", but it can also mean just "getting in the water and swimming", "swimming for recreation", or "getting in the water for recreation".

Active motion should be part of the activity: dancing, sailing, jogging, shopping (i.e. going about a store or stores buying or looking to buy things), etc. I would say cooking does not involve sufficient motion to work this way.

The verb in _-ing_ form is a gerund and should be self-contained. In other words, it should not take a direct object (e.g. _climbing rocks_), but it can be modified (e.g. _rock climbing_).
_
They are going to go dancing. 
I'm going to go shopping. 
They are going to dance._  [= "They will dance", or = "They are going <somewhere> in order to dance"]
_ I'm going to go cooking._  [wrong because _cooking_ is not active motion]
_ I'm going to go playing soccer to the park._  [wrong because _soccer_ is a direct object, and also wrong because "to the park" is either misplaced or has the wrong preposition]


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## ChilenoAlemánCanadá

Thank you, Forero!


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## duvija

I think all of you left out the easiest explanation:
In Spanish - 
Voy a ir a la biblioteca vs. voy a la biblioteca
Vamos a ir al baile/Vamos a ir a bailar  vs. vamos a bailar
Voy a ir a ponerme ...un vestido sin mangas para que se me vea la cicatriz de la cirugía de hombro... 

So it's 'going to go' all the way. And happily ever after.


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## Forero

duvija said:


> I think all of you left out the easiest explanation:
> In Spanish -
> Voy a ir a la biblioteca vs. voy a la biblioteca
> Vamos a ir al baile/Vamos a ir a bailar  vs. vamos a bailar
> Voy a ir a ponerme ...un vestido sin mangas para que se me vea la cicatriz de la cirugía de hombro...
> 
> So it's 'going to go' all the way. And happily ever after.


"Voy a ir a ponerme un vestido ..." no es "I'm going to go putting on a dress ..." sino "I'm going to go put on a sleeveless dress ...".

Y ya veo que lo que dije en el otro post no lo explica todo:


_Going fishing_ es "ir a pescar", pero el pescar no es muy activo. Puede que tenga que ver con salir para recreación: "I'm going to go shopping/fishing" = "I'm going to go on an outing (to go on a shopping/fishing trip)".
_Going running to his momma_ no es "ir a correr a su mamá" sino "ir corriendo a su mamá".


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## duvija

Forero said:


> "Voy a ir a ponerme un vestido ..." no es "I'm going to go putting on a dress ..." sino "I'm going to go put on a sleeveless dress ...".
> 
> ¿Y quién dijo que es 'I'm going to go putting...'? ¿No te alcanza con "I'm going to go..."?
> 
> Que, de paso, tiende al I'm gonna go...


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## Forero

duvija said:


> Forero said:
> 
> 
> 
> "Voy a ir a ponerme un vestido ..." no es "I'm going to go putting on a dress ..." sino "I'm going to go put on a sleeveless dress ...".
> 
> ¿Y quién dijo que es 'I'm going to go putting...'? ¿No te alcanza con "I'm going to go..."?
> 
> Que, de paso, tiende al I'm gonna go...
> 
> 
> 
> Perdona la equis roja. Es que creo que ni tu explicación ni la mía hace claro por qué se dice "I'm going to go dancing" y "I'm going to go shopping", pero no se dice "I'm going to go cooking" ni "I'm going to go playing soccer". Tampoco se dice "ir a ponerme ..." con _to go -ing_.
> 
> La pregunta que entiendo de Nacholympic es ¿Cómo se distinguen los casos?
Click to expand...


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## duvija

Forero said:


> duvija said:
> 
> 
> 
> Perdona la equis roja. Es que creo que ni tu explicación ni la mía hace claro por qué se dice "I'm going to go dancing" y "I'm going to go shopping", pero no se dice "I'm going to go cooking" ni "I'm going to go playing soccer". Tampoco se dice "ir a ponerme ..." con _to go -ing_.
> 
> La pregunta que entiendo de Nacholympic es ¿Cómo se distinguen los casos?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sí, claramente me hice lío. Ahora entiendo tu explicación. No me convence 100%, pero es clara. No sé si podemos realmente separar las acciones de las no-acciones. Seguramente quedan casos intermedios. Voy a pensarlo y vuelvo.
Click to expand...


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## blasita

> They are going to go dancing. *=They are going dancing.*
> I'm going to go shopping. *I´m going shopping.*





> I'm going to go cooking.  [wrong because cooking is not active motion]



What I learnt quite a long time ago was that we use _go_ + _-ing_ to talk about activities in which people move about, which do not have a fixed beginning or end (_Did you go dancing last Sunday?_), and to talk about looking for or collecting things (_I think I´ll go shopping tomorrow./In July all the students go looking for jobs._).  And we don´t use _go+ing_ to talk about activities that have a more definite beginning and end (_go watching a football match_ ).

It´s tricky, I agree.  This is just my try.  So, may it be possible that this last rule may apply to _go cooking_?   Could it be explained e.g that both are dynamic verbs, but activity verbs (which stretch out over time) are the ones which can take the structure _go+ing_? 

Does this make any sense? Am I completely wrong here?

Un saludo a todos.


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## Forero

blasita said:


> What I learnt quite a long time ago was that we use _go_ + _-ing_ to talk about activities in which people move about, which do not have a fixed beginning or end (_Did you go dancing last Sunday?_), and to talk about looking for or collecting things (_I think I´ll go shopping tomorrow./In July all the students go looking for jobs._).  And we don´t use _go+ing_ to talk about activities that have a more definite beginning and end (_go watching a football match_ ).
> 
> It´s tricky, I agree.  This is just my try.  So, may it be possible that this last rule may apply to _go cooking_?   Could it be explained e.g that both are dynamic verbs, but activity verbs (which stretch out over time) are the ones which can take the structure _go+ing_?
> 
> Does this make any sense? Am I completely wrong here?
> 
> Un saludo a todos.


It makes sense, but I don't think fixed beginning or end has anything to do with it. It really does not work with gerunds that have direct objects: 

_Go watching birds_ 
_Go bird watching_ 

In _bird watching_, _bird_ is used as an adjective modifying _watching_. Bird watching does not really involve moving about or collecting, and is not really looking for birds (buscar aves) so much as looking at them (mirarlas, o más bien observarlas).

What is it about bird watching, fishing, shopping, looking for jobs (job hunting), dancing, and skiing that is not shared by knitting or cooking, even cooking that involves actively moving about? Maybe the idea is "salir a ...r" (_to go out -ing_). ¿Pueden decirse "salir a mirar aves", "salir a pescar", "salir a comprar cosas", "salir a buscar trabajo", "salir a bailar", "salir a esquiar"? ¿Suena más raro decir "salir a tricotar" o "salir a cocinar"?


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## duvija

Wait. Can you say 'I'm gonna go watching TV' if I'm camping and decide to check into a motel? Is it 'change of activity'? no, can't be. Let's think some more. No, sorry, this is my stupidity.


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## duvija

Voy a salir a limpiar los vidrios. OK< I'm in my housewife mood, but I have to go out, I have to move around, going to go wash windows/ window washing? nope, both totally absurd.


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## blasita

> Go watching birds
> Go bird watching



But here _*bird-watching*_ is a noun, and in *go watching birds*=go and watch (?)  watching can´t be a gerund, but a verb.  Am I stupid?


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## Thomas1

Forero said:


> [...]
> What is it about bird watching, fishing, shopping, looking for jobs (job hunting), dancing, and skiing that is not shared by knitting or cooking, even cooking that involves actively moving about? Maybe the idea is "salir a ...r" (_to go out -ing_). ¿Pueden decirse "salir a mirar aves", "salir a pescar", "salir a comprar cosas", "salir a buscar trabajo", "salir a bailar", "salir a esquiar"? ¿Suena más raro decir "salir a tricotar" o "salir a cocinar"?


You may be onto something. Here's an entry from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
go (for) something to leave a place or travel to a place  in order to take part in an activity or a sportto *go for a  walk/drive/swim/run*
Shall we go for a drink (= at a  pub or bar) after work?
I have to go shopping this afternoon.
We're going sailing on  Saturday.
http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/go 

The definition gives the idea of travelling. So you have to have a purpose for your going somewhere and you don't normally leave your place to knit or to cook, do you?


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## Forero

blasita said:


> But here _*bird-watching*_ is a noun, and in *go watching birds*=go and watch (?)  watching can´t be a gerund, but a verb.  Am I stupid?


You are not stupid. The _-ing_ form in _go bird watching_, _go dancing_, _go fishing_, etc., is a gerund, a verbal noun, and that is why direct objects don't fit. _Go -ing_ in these constructions seems to mean something like "go out for -ing", except for _go swimming_, which almost loses the _go_ idea altogether. Does it work to translate these as "salir a observar aves", "salir a bailar", "salir a pescar"? Does this translation explain why _go cooking_ sounds weird?

_Go watch birds_ and _go and watch birds_ are correct syntax, but I think the meaning is a little different.

Anyway, _go watch_ only works as an infinitive, an imperative, or a present subjunctive. No one says _went watch_, _went watched_, _gone watch_, _gone watched_, _goes watch_, or _goes watches_. We have to say _went and watched_, _gone and watched_, _goes and watches_.

But _go dancing_, _go bird watching_, and so on, work with any form of _go_: _went bird watching_, _gone bird watching_, _goes bird watching_.

_Go_ + _-ing_ is used other ways too, that can translate as Spanish gerunds, which are never nouns (e.g. _go crying to his momma_ = ir llorando a su mamá). This works with other verbs besides _go_ (_came crying home_, _ran crying to Uncle_). And sometimes _go _+ _-ing_ means almost the same as _be_ + _-ing_: _Don't go trying to change me_.


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## Forero

Thomas1 said:


> You may be onto something. Here's an entry from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
> go (for) something to leave a place or travel to a place  in order to take part in an activity or a sportto *go for a  walk/drive/swim/run*
> Shall we go for a drink (= at a  pub or bar) after work?
> I have to go shopping this afternoon.
> We're going sailing on  Saturday.
> http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/go
> 
> The definition gives the idea of travelling. So you have to have a purpose for your going somewhere and you don't normally leave your place to knit or to cook, do you?


I'm glad somebody agrees with me. 

I am a little confused because it makes sense to go out to cook, but then we say "go out to cook". "Go out cooking" sounds to me as if cooking were some sort of sport or social activity. (Can't it be?) And why can we say "I am going to go cook some pancakes" but not "I am going to go cooking some pancakes"?

"Go swimming" is another "inexplicable" form. It seems different because it often means little more than "get wet (in a body of water)".


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## blasita

> Here's an entry from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
> go (for) something to leave a place or travel to a place in order to take part in an activity or a sportto go for a walk/drive/swim/run
> Shall we go for a drink (= at a pub or bar) after work?
> I have to go shopping this afternoon.
> We're going sailing on Saturday.
> http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdic.../dictionary/go
> The definition gives the idea of travelling. So you have to have a purpose for your going somewhere and you don't normally leave your place to knit or to cook, do you?



A sensible explanation.  But I´m not sure it´s always true/to fully understand ...  Because I don´t think all verbs can take _go for a_ and _go + ing_; e.g. ´I´m going for a bath´, etc . I may be wrong, but I don´t think you can say ´I´m going bathing´ (=to have/take a bath). And you can´t say:_ I´m going cooking or I´m going for a cook._

So, is it _go for a_ only about going out, travelling all the times; but about casual and short actions? And don´t you think it may be as well a question of collocations? Sorry, I´m confused.

Saludos.


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## Thomas1

Forero said:


> I'm glad somebody agrees with me.
> 
> I am a little confused because it makes sense to go out to cook, but then we say "go out to cook". "Go out cooking" sounds to me as if cooking were some sort of sport or social activity. (Can't it be?) And why can we say "I am going to go cook some pancakes" but not "I am going to go cooking some pancakes"?


 Isn't the direct object of cooking the obstacle? I think that the word after 'go' is a gerund/noun. Why? Beause it used to be employed with 'a':
1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xxi. IV. 665 The King was certainly going a hunting. 
This usages is quite rare today.



Forero said:


> "Go swimming" is another "inexplicable" form. It seems different because it often means little more than "get wet (in a body of water)".


I take it simply to mean that you 'go out to some body of water to take a swim'. The idea of going somewhere is basic here (and in other wordings of this sort). However, the other associations that you've mentioned may be simply something that the wording 'go swimming' has acquired over time. 





blasita said:


> A sensible explanation.  But I´m not sure it´s always true/to fully understand ...  Because I don´t think all verbs can take _go for a_ and _go + ing_; e.g. ´I´m going for a bath´, etc . I may be wrong, but I don´t think you can say ´I´m going bathing´ (=to have/take a bath).


You can say both. 
Went bathing.
Went for a bath.
I would, however, tend to consider 'go bathing' as a more usual form but someone might confirm whether it's true. I think it may be that some words go with 'go for a' and some with 'go -ing' more often, which can be the matter of people's preference.


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## blasita

> You can say both.
> Went bathing.
> Went for a bath.



Many thanks, Thomas 1.  It just doesn´t sound natural to me (but I´m a non-native speaker...): _I´m going bathing tonight._ (meaning=having a bath); I´d heard only_ I´m going to have/take a bath _.  Or what about: _Go skiing  vs Go for a ski  (???)

Un saludo ._


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## Thomas1

blasita said:


> Many thanks, Thomas 1.  It just doesn´t sound natural to me (but I´m a non-native speaker...): _I´m going bathing tonight._ (meaning=having a bath); I´d heard only_ I´m going to have/take a bath _.  Or what about: _Go skiing  vs Go for a ski  (???)
> 
> Un saludo ._


_
I am too, Blasita, I can only share what I was taught and what seems right to me.  I'm not sure 'go for a ski' works, though._


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## blasita

> I am too, Blasita, I can only share what I was taught and what seems right to me.  I'm not sure 'go for a ski' works, though.



Thank you so much for replying and for your useful contribution here, anyway.

Un saludo .


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## Forero

_Cooking_ is like _fishing_ or _hunting_ in that it does not require a direct object. The difference seems to be in the nature of the activity:

_I enjoy hunting, so I went hunting. 
I enjoy cooking , so I went cooking. 
_
And people do say _go for a ski_, like _go for a walk_ or _go for a swim_, but a cook is a person. "Going for a cook" sounds like being interested in a cook.

_Go bathing_ does not refer to taking a bath but is synonymous with _go swimming_. _Go bathing_ and _go swimming_ mean something like "take a swim", not necessarily "go take a swim".

By the way, the _a_ in "going a hunting" is a preposition, like _for_, not the indefinite article. We don't use it so much these days, but I think it is "implied" in these constructions.


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## chileno

Forero said:


> _Cooking_ is like _fishing_ or _hunting_ in that it does not require a direct object. The difference seems to be in the nature of the activity:
> 
> _I enjoy hunting, so I went hunting.
> I enjoy cooking , so I went cooking.
> _
> And people do say _go for a ski_, like _go for a walk_ or _go for a swim_, but a cook is a person. "Going for a cook" sounds like being interested in a cook.
> 
> _Go bathing_ does not refer to taking a bath but is synonymous with _go swimming_. _Go bathing_ and _go swimming_ mean something like "take a swim", not necessarily "go take a swim".
> 
> By the way, the _a_ in "going a hunting" is a preposition, like _for_, not the indefinite article. We don't use it so much these days, but I think it is "implied" in these constructions.



All I can say, is that I hate you all! All these years that I thought I had it right in my head! 

By the way, would that be why "gonna" is used? I thought it was because of "going to".


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## Forero

chileno said:


> All I can say, is that I hate you all! All these years that I thought I had it right in my head!
> 
> By the way, would that be why "gonna" is used? I thought it was because of "going to".


_Gonna_ = "going to" (followed by an infinitive). _Ahunting_, which can be written as one word, like _awry_, is a gerund made into an adverb or adjective. I think the _a-_ is related to _on_. It is certainly not a form of _one_/_an_/_a_.


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## chileno

Forero said:


> _Gonna_ = "going to" (followed by an infinitive). _Ahunting_, which can be written as one word, like _awry_, is a gerund made into an adverb or adjective. I think the _a-_ is related to _on_. It is certainly not a form of _one_/_an_/_a_.



Ah. OK thank you for the info.


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## duvija

Más bien se escribe a'huntin' ... 
12 lords a'leapin', 11 maids a'milkin'...


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## inib

Forero said:


> _Go bathing_ does not refer to taking a bath but is synonymous with _go swimming_. _Go bathing_ and _go swimming_ mean something like "take a swim", not necessarily "go take a swim".


 
I've been following this thread with interest for  a few days and hoping a conclusion would be found in the end. So many theories seemed right with a few examples, but eventually got knocked down by another example.

I would just like to add that I think that nowadays "go bathing" is synonymous with "go swimming", and not "have/take a bath", as Forero says BUT I think that in the days when not everybody had a bathroom at home, and they had to go to the local bathhouse for their ablutions they would then say they were _going bathing_, (and not _swimming, _obviously.) So, this example takes us back to the "having to leave your house theory".

Sorry, another spanner in the works!


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## blasita

> I would just like to add that I think that nowadays "go bathing" is synonymous with "go swimming", and not "have/take a bath", as Forero says BUT I think that in the days when not everybody had a bathroom at home, and they had to go to the local bathhouse for their ablutions they would then say they were going bathing, (and not swimming, obviously.) So, this example takes us back to the "having to leave your house theory".


Thanks inib; I was just going to comment on _bath_ and _bathe_.



> And people do say go for a ski, like go for a walk or go for a swim, but a cook is a person. "Going for a cook" sounds like being interested in a cook.


I´ve had a look at a (very respectable) grammar, and it does say that _Come for a ski with us_ (as well as _going for a read_) is not correct.  But I´m personally very happy to learn that it´s said anyway (I´m interested in practice).  This book´s explanations and examples are BrE (though sometimes includes some grammatical differences between BrE and AmE). So, I´m always ready to leave my house theory , but I´m sure you understand, inib, that this is not so easy when you´re a non-native speaker of the language .

So, sorry to insist, and thank you very much for your explanation, forero! .

Un saludo a todos.


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## inib

blasita said:


> Thanks inib; I was just going to comment on _bath_ and _bathe_.
> 
> 
> ... but I´m sure you understand, inib, that this is not so easy when you´re a non-native speaker of the language .


I understand (you) perfectly. I'm native and can't make head or tail of it either!


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## marriedtoMexican

Okay, I'm no grammar expert, but I'm intrigued by this topic.  The rules "Blasita" mentioned seemed to make sense to me, except that exceptions kept coming up.  I kept thinking about how knitting, cooking, etc. could be different than dancing, shopping, bird watching, etc.  Then "Forero" reminded us that the -ing form is a verbal noun (verb acting as a noun?), and that nouns don't take direct objects, verbs do.  (Forgive me if I misunderstood you, Forero)

Could it be that the only explanation is grammatical?  Could it be that verbs that have an implied direct object in a sentence cannot be a verbal noun, and therefore cannot be used in the "going to go +ing" construction?  Since verbs of motion don't generally take direct objects, they can become verbal nouns and be used in this type of grammatical construction.  It is interesting to note that the same verbs you have been discussing that can't be used (knitting, cooking, playing),  CAN be used with the "going to go" construction when the activity is going to happen in another place and the verb is in the infinitive form.  
For example, imagine that two women are watching TV and one of them gets up and starts to leave the room.  The other woman asks her "Where are you going?" or "Why aren't you going to finish watching the TV show?"

She could respond:
I'm going to go knit (a sweater for my baby niece, a blanket, etc.) in my bedroom.  
I'm going to go make a pizza for dinner/ cook our dinner.  
I'm going to go read (my new book).
I'm going to go watch a different show in the other room.
I'm going to go play (soccer) with my friends in the park.

I think the words in parentheses - which are direct objects of the verb- could possibly be left out of the sentence, but it is implied that you are going to read something (book, magazine, etc.), you are going to knit something (sweater, vest, blanket, etc.), you are going to play something (dolls, soccer, football, baseball, etc).  And it is either stated or implied that you are going to do this activity in another place, whether it be outside of the house or just in another room of the house.

She could NOT respond:
I'm going to go knitting.  
I'm going to go making pizza/ cooking/ cooking our dinner.
I'm going to go reading/ reading my new book.
I'm going to go watching a different show in the other room.
I'm going to go playing soccer in the park with my friends.

I don't know if I made any sense, especially since I'm up way too late and I'm very tired, so I'll leave it at that and see if anyone else can make sense of this tomorrow.
¡Buenas noches!


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## blasita

¡Buenas noches (días aquí en España), marriedtoMexican! And you say you´re no grammar expert...?? What you´re saying makes sense to me (I´m not sure if there´s an exception around, though: I hope not!).  I was just about to write a ´post´ with some of my (pathetic) thoughts.  

I´m going to try to translate this way:

I like going dancing = Me gusta ir *de* baile (Me gusta ir a bailar) 
I like going fishing = Me gusta ir *de* pesca (Me gusta ir a pescar) 
I like playing soccer = Me gusta jugar al fútbol (I like going playing soccer/Me gusta ir de jugada )
I like cooking = Me gusta cocinar (I like going cooking/Me gustar ir de cocina )

BUT: I like going swimming = Me gustar ir a nadar/bañarme  BUT Me gusta ir de baño  (?)

So, then let´s go back to English only. I´m going to try to ´defend my theory´. In English, except gerunds that need direct objects, it seems to work: _go dancing/shopping/fishing/swimming_.  But NOT: _I like going playing soccer_ (because it needs a direct object ?). _I like going cooking, ironing_ (because they are ´dynamic´ not ´active verbs, they are not usually sports or activities performed out of the house ?).

What do you think about marriedtoMexican´s view?  Un saludo.


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## marriedtoMexican

Oops, I took so long to write my post that you can no longer tell I was trying to respond to Blasita and Forero's contributions.  

Also, Thomas1 mentioned the direct object angle to this puzzle too:



Thomas1 said:


> Isn't the direct object of cooking the obstacle? I think that the word after 'go' is a gerund/noun.
> 
> And someone else (sorry, don't remember who) pointed out that you can say "I enjoy cooking", using the gerund form, but in that sentence cooking does not have any stated or implied direct object.
> 
> Chileno, I know how you feel!  The same thing happens to me when the topic is some point of Spanish grammar and nobody can agree on an answer.  As a native speaker dissecting one's own grammar, it's interesting trying to figure out the puzzle.  As a non-native speaker, you just want clear explanations.  Sorry to add to the confusion!


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## Thomas1

Forero said:


> _Cooking_ is like _fishing_ or _hunting_ in that it does not require a direct object. The difference seems to be in the nature of the activity:
> 
> _I enjoy hunting, so I went hunting.
> I enjoy cooking , so I went cooking.
> _


Ups... saying about the direct object I meant the very example you gave  "I am going to go cooking some pancakes" which has a direct object but you say 'go -ing' (without the object after the -ing). 
The direct obejct can also be implied in wordings such as "go hunting". 

However, the more I think about it the more I am inclined towards your idea of a necessary movement, Forero.  You don't usually leave your place to take part in cooking, no? All the other activities mentioned so far usually imply leaving your place if you want to take part in them.




> By the way, the _a_ in "going a hunting" is a preposition, like _for_, not the indefinite article. We don't use it so much these days, but I think it is "implied" in these constructions.


 Just in case someone's interested, the 'a' as in 'going a hunting' means 'on' (cf. go on an errand; and the 'go' in this expression is the same as the one we are discussing OED).


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## blasita

> Originally Posted by Forero
> Cooking is like fishing or hunting in that it does not require a direct object. The difference seems to be in the nature of the activity:
> I enjoy hunting, so I went hunting.
> I enjoy cooking , so I went cooking.





> Ups... saying about the direct object I meant the very example you gave "I am going to go cooking some pancakes" which has a direct object but you say 'go -ing' (without the object after the -ing).
> The direct obejct can also be implied in wordings such as "go hunting".



Sorry, Thomas, but I can´t get what you say: I don´t think forero wrote that it is right to say either: _I´m going cooking./I am going to go cooking some pancakes._ But that they can be intransitive and transitive. But you may be right; it´s just I can´t fully understand what you´re saying.

My try on this:

_I go hunting._ (_hunting_ is the activity: I don´t think you need a direct object here).  Cats hunt mice and birds. (not _go hunting_ ??).

_I cook pancakes every night. _ _I go cooking. /I go cooking pancakes every night. _  As you said, Thomas, you tend to cook inside (except a BBQ)/it´s not an ´activity´ even though we do need to move in order to cook).

Uf (o como duvija dice y me encanta: Ufa), espero que hayamos llegado a algo juntos.  Gracias a todos.  Un saludo.


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## Thomas1

blasita said:


> Sorry, Thomas, but I can´t get what you say: I don´t think forero wrote that it is right to say either: _I´m going cooking./I am going to go cooking some pancakes._ But that they can be intransitive and transitive. But you may be right; it´s just I can´t fully understand what you´re saying.


 I'm sorry, Blastita, for the confusion.  I simply assumed for a moment, when writing that answer to Forero's post, that 'go cooking' was possible because Forero said: ""Go out cooking" sounds to me as if cooking were some sort of sport or  social activity. (Can't it be?)". Then we read "why can we say "I am going to go cook some pancakes" but not "I am going  to go cooking some pancakes"?" so I thought the reason was the direct object. I think I'm going to take 'go cooking' as something which isn't standard so as to avoid any further confusion and lower marks.



blasita said:


> My try on this:
> 
> _I go hunting._ (_hunting_ is the activity: I don´t think you need a direct object here).  Cats hunt mice and birds. (not _go hunting_ ??).


Precisely, I would even add that 'I go hunting' should be used withtout the direct object after 'hunting'. 


blasita said:


> _I cook pancakes every night. _ _I go cooking. /I go cooking pancakes every night. _  As you said, Thomas, you tend to cook inside (except a BBQ)/it´s not an ´activity´ even though we do need to move in order to cook).


 It's exactly how I understand it, Blastita.


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## blasita

Ahora creo que tengo claro lo que querías decir (es que a veces no me entero bien, pero prefiero pedir explicaciones porque pienso que, al igual que yo, algún forero pudiera estar perdido.  Gracias, Thomas .

Un saludo.


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## Forero

Una tabulación de mi opinión (espero que sirva de ayuda):
_
We are going to go hunting. 
__We are__ going t__o go hunting for ducks. 
__We are__ going __to go duck hunting. __
We are__ going __to go hunting ducks.  _[Suena raro por el objeto directo]

_We are__ going to go hunting at Lake Clearfork. 
__We are__ going to go swimming at Lake Clearfork. 
__We are__ going to go picnicking at Lake Clearfork. 
__We are__ going to go barbecuing at Lake Clearfork. _ [Suena raro porque _barbecuing_ es como _cooking_]

_Since we were already in the woods with our guns, we decided we were going to just go hunting._ [probably involves going places in the woods, _go hunting_ = _go on a hunt_]
_Since we were already up to our ankles in water, we decided we were going to just go swimming._ [probably does not involve going anywhere, _go swimming_ = _take_/_have a swim_]


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## Ivan_I

I have two sentences to be tested by you.

*1) *_*Bob is going to go dancing. 
*_I see two meanings here_
a) Bob is somewhere else and will go to the party soon, where he will dance. 
b) Bob is going to start attending a dancing class. 

_*2) *_*Don't go cooking every time he calls in!
*_I think it may mean_ "Don't start cooking every time he calls in." (It's like - Don't go arguing with your mom all the time)
Do you agree or not?
_


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## duvija

¿ Estamos en la ambigüedad de "Flying planes can be dangerous" ?


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## inib

Ivan_I said:


> I have two sentences to be tested by you.
> 
> *1) *_*Bob is going to go dancing.
> *_I see two meanings here_
> a) Bob is somewhere else and will go to the party soon, where he will dance.
> b) Bob is going to start attending a dancing class.
> 
> _*2) *_*Don't go cooking every time he calls in!
> *_I think it may mean_ "Don't start cooking every time he calls in." (It's like - Don't go arguing with your mom all the time)
> Do you agree or not?
> _


Without further context, I think your interpretations are more than possible (but there may be others too).


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## La Compte de Monte-Cristo

Ivan_I said:


> I have two sentences to be tested by you.
> 
> *1) *_*Bob is going to go dancing.
> *_I see two meanings here_
> a) Bob is somewhere else and will go to the party soon, where he will dance.
> b) Bob is going to start attending a dancing class.
> 
> _*2) *_*Don't go cooking every time he calls in!
> *_I think it may mean_ "Don't start cooking every time he calls in." (It's like - Don't go arguing with your mom all the time)
> Do you agree or not?
> _



I think if Bob was going to start attending a dancing class it would be stated. Perhaps "Bob is going to start dancing". Which would also fit with your first interpretation. "Bob is going to go dancing" sounds like a one-off event to me so would only match your first interpretation.


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## Ivan_I

*La Compte de Monte-Cristo*
Thank you. It's interesting. 
I go dancing. (an activity, not a one-off action)
I am going to go dancing. (a one-off action)
Interesting.


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