go + infinitive or ing form

[allthewayanime]

I know that the basic rule is go + bare infinitive therefore it would be:

Go cook! Go swim! Go drink! Go shop!Go eat! etc.

Now my doubt is that if we can use with the expressions above the ing form and if there is any difference between them.

e.g. Go cooking! Go swimming!Go eating!Go shopping!Go drinking! etc.

[susiedq]

You have used imperative sentences in your samples. (ordering people to do something). So, yes, both ways are correct.

Are you asking about this kind of use?


We can go cook at Joe's house tonight.

We can go shopping in town tonight if you want.

[emsr2d2]

This is very similar to an earlier post regarding "Go + bare infinitive". I would just like to repeat what cropped up several times there. Although the construction is used in AmE and we are starting to hear it a little in BrE, the normal construction in BrE is "go and +bare infinitive" (or "go to +bare infinitive).

Go and cook.
Go and eat.
Come and play.

[allthewayanime]

First I'll be interested in what I wrote above.
I know that "Go verb-ing!" is grammatically OK in BrE (and, as far as I know, in AmE), but it works better with certain verbs than with others. For example, "Go shopping!" is reasonable, but "Go eating!" doesn't seem very likely.

Which verbs can't be used in the 'go + ing' pattern?

Another doubt that I have is on what we base that the verb would go in the ing form or in the base form regarding the pattern 'let's go+ ing or bare infinitive'?
For instance why can't we say 'let's go eating' but we can say 'let's go drinking/shopping/hiking/training' etc?

[Barb_D]

I don't agree that "Go shopping" as a command is at all common, nor any of the others.

It will be fun to go shopping with the girls. Fine.
I usually go shopping on the weekends. Fine.
Go shopping! Not fine.

I wouldn't even use the "go shop" (or go eat, etc.) except for a situation when it's clear my continued conversation is keeping someone from doing something they want to do. "Ohf fine -- go shop! I'll catch up with you later." "Look, I can hear your stomach growling. Go eat! Call me when you can."

[allthewayanime]

One last thing what's the difference if I use this pattern in declarative sentences:

We can go cook at Joe's house tonight.

We can go cooking on the new show.

[5jj]

The second one is not natural English. I don't know what it is meant to mean.

[allthewayanime]

Why is it possible to use 'go to work'(in imperative sentences) if according to the pattern it should be ' go and work'(in imperative sentences)?
Also could the verb 'start' follow the same pattern above as the verb 'go' ?

[emsr2d2]

Why is it possible to use 'go to work'(in imperative sentences) if according to the pattern it should be ' go and work'(in imperative sentences)?
Also could the verb 'start' follow the same pattern above as the verb 'go' ?

With "go to work", the "to" is a preposition, not part of the verb.

It's "Go" (imperative), "to" (preposition), "work" (noun: the place where you work).

[allthewayanime]

Thank you and in the end could the verb 'start' follow the same pattern above as the verb 'go' ?

e.g. Start do it! or Start doing it!