be going to do

[diamondcutter]

DAN: What are we going to write about for our ezine this week?
SHARI: I don't know. Have you got any ideas, Alvin?
ALVIN: Er, no, but let's have a look at the exhibition on jobs and think about it.
DAN: Look at this nurse. That's an interesting job. I think I'm going to be a nurse when I'm older.
SHARI: Hmm. A nurse is OK, but I think I'm going to be a dentist. What are you going to do, Alvin?
ALVIN: I'm not sure, but I'm going to have an exciting job.
TEACHER: Everybody has to leave the school building now, please. Walk quickly, but don't run.
SHARI: Oh, no! I hope the school isn't going to burn down.
TEACHER: It's OK, everybody. It's only a practice.
ALVIN: That's a really exciting job. I'm going to be a firefighter.
SHARI: Well, now we know what we're going to write about in this week's ezine! Jobs.
DAN: Let's write about famous people's jobs.
SHARI AND ALVIN: Yeah!
DAN: Yee ha! We're going to win that prize!

(Kid’s Box 5, CUP)

My teachers and my grammar books have given me an impression that the “be going to do” structure is used to talk about things which were thought about before people talk about them. But in this dialogue, the kids use the structure to talk about their instant ideas. I want to know why. Or Maybe my impression is not correct.

 

[teechar]

My teachers and my grammar books have given me an impression that the “be going to do” structure is used to talk about things which were thought about before people talk about them.

That's true.
I'm going to have my tonsils removed next week.

But in this dialogue, the kids use the structure to talk about their instant ideas.

That's also true.
I think I'm going to get sick.

I want to know why.

One structure - two (or more) uses.

 

[jutfrank]

I'm curious[FONT=Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]—which parts do you think express instant ideas?[/FONT]

 

[Raymott]

I'm curious—which parts do you think express instant ideas?

I'd suggest this one:
TEACHER: Everybody has to leave the school building now, please. Walk quickly, but don't run.
SHARI: Oh, no! I hope the school isn't going to burn down.

 

[jutfrank]

I'd suggest this one:
TEACHER: Everybody has to leave the school building now, please. Walk quickly, but don't run.
SHARI: Oh, no! I hope the school isn't going to burn down.

I'd much prefer to class that within the use of BE going to for prediction, contrasted with I hope the school doesn't burn down, which would express a more simple wish. The speaker there is imagining a predicted future event.

Anyway, I'm not sure how useful any analysis of this inauthentic, not brilliantly written text is.

 

[Tarheel]

...things which were thought about before people talk about them.

You pretty much have to think about something before you can talk about it even if the thinking only happened a second beforehand.

 

[diamondcutter]

...things which were thought about before people talk about them.

You pretty much have to think about something before you can talk about it even if the thinking only happened a second beforehand.

I should have said like this:

“Be going to do” structure is used to talk about things which were thought about before people’s conversation.

 

[jutfrank]

A slight understatement.

A slight understatement.

 

[Tarheel]

I should have said it like this:

“Be going to do” structure is used to talk about things which were thought about before people’s conversation.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure what you are trying to say.
:-?

 

[diamondcutter]

I'd much prefer to class that within the use of BE going to for prediction, contrasted with I hope the school doesn't burn down, which would express a more simple wish. The speaker there is imagining a predicted future event.

Anyway, I'm not sure how useful any analysis of this inauthentic, not brilliantly written text is.

Hi, jutfrank.

I wonder if I could ask you to rewrite the dialogue in the OP. That'll be a great help for me to understand your ideas.

 

[jutfrank]

Hi, jutfrank.

I wonder if I could ask you to rewrite the dialogue in the OP.

I'm teaching all day this week so I don't think I'm going to have much time to do that. Perhaps someone else will do it.

Or perhaps you could try.

 

[diamondcutter]

I'm teaching all day this week so I don't think I'm going to have much time to do that. Perhaps someone else will do it.

Or perhaps you could try.

It’s pity that I don’t have the level. I just can’t imagine a product of Cambridge University Press got such a low comment. Maybe when you’re free you could rewrite it or maybe someone else would have the interest to do that.

 

[diamondcutter]

This is my version of the dialogue. What do you think of it?

DAN: What are we going to write about for our ezine this week?
SHARI: I don't know. Have you got any ideas, Alvin?
ALVIN: Er, no, but let's have a look at the exhibition on jobs and think about it.
DAN: Look at this nurse. That's an interesting job. I want to be a nurse when I grow up./I think I'll be a nurse when I grow up.
SHARI: Hmm. A nurse is OK, but I think I'll be a dentist. What do you want to be, Alvin?
ALVIN: I'm not sure, but I want to have an exciting job.
TEACHER: Everybody has to leave the school building now, please. Walk quickly, but don't run.
SHARI: Oh, no! I hope the school won’t burn down.
TEACHER: It's OK, everybody. It's only a practice.
ALVIN: Now I know what I want to do. I want to be a firefighter!
SHARI: Well, now we know what we're going to write about in this week's ezine! Jobs.
DAN: Let's write about famous people's jobs.
SHARI AND ALVIN: Yeah!
DAN: Yee ha! We're going to win that prize!

 

[Tarheel]

That (post 16) is good. But I would not post two alternative sentences. Instead, choose!

 

[diamondcutter]

I'd choose this sentence: I want to be a nurse when I grow up.

Do you agree?

 

[Tarheel]

Yes. That's better.

 

[diamondcutter]

Kid’s Box is an English textbook for children by Cambridge University Press. The dialogue in the OP is used to present the structure “be going to do”. I can’t believe the writers wrote such an unnatural dialogue just to present the language point they wanted to teach in spite of it’s actual use.
Now I’m really confused. I don’t know how to use this dialogue to teach children.

 

[Tarheel]

Maybe you could make up your own.

 

[diamondcutter]

I'll think about your advice.:-D