let's go eating or eat?

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ingela

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Are these both correct?

Let's go eating.
Let's go eat.
 

Allen165

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NOT A TEACHER.

No, only "Let's go eat" is correct.
 

BobK

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NOT A TEACHER.

No, only "Let's go eat" is correct.

... but not for users of standard British English, who would say 'Let's go and eat'.

The -ing form would be OK if you were referring to an activity: 'let's go fishing/sailing/swimming...', so perhaps the rule is '...an activity that involves locomotion'. Just sitting at a table eating doesn't count! Perhaps some other teacher can express this better...:oops:

b
 

Allen165

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... but not for users of standard British English, who would say 'Let's go and eat'.

The -ing form would be OK if you were referring to an activity: 'let's go fishing/sailing/swimming...', so perhaps the rule is '...an activity that involves locomotion'. Just sitting at a table eating doesn't count! Perhaps some other teacher can express this better...:oops:

b

Are you suggesting that "Let's go eat" is poor grammar?
 

BobK

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Are you suggesting that "Let's go eat" is poor grammar?

It depends what you mean by 'poor grammar'. It's not poor grammar in Canada, but it's not accepted by educated* native speakers in the UK.

b

*PS ... although it is occasionally used by people who left school at 15, read the Sun, and watch a lot of American TV shows. Me? A snob? ;-)

PPS It's also used in a number of local dialects. (One such dialect was spoken, for example, by the Pilgrim Fathers.)
 
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Raymott

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