[Grammar] BE GOING TO and PRESENT CONTINUOUS for future plans.

[The apprentice]

Dear members and Teachers:


It's known that BE GOING TO and the PRESENT CONTINUOUS are used for future plans. The PRESENT CONTINUOUS is normally accompanied by a time expression and it envolved more than one person. I have also learned that BE GOING TO is used for future intention, whereas the PRESENT CONTINUOUS is used for arrangement


I° - I'm going to New York on Saturday night.


II° - I'm going to go to New York on Saturday night.


QUESTIONS:


(a) What is the real difference to know when to use one or the other.


(b) Does the sentence below imply a future action ─BE GOING TO is followed by a verb in its base form─, or it is just an ongoing action happening at the moment of speaking ─PRESENT CONTINUOUS for future action is normally along with a time expression


III° - I'm going to a soccer match.




I ask for your help and assistance in this issue.

 

[bhaisahab]

I and II mean the same. III, as it stands, means that you are on your way to a soccer match at the time of speaking.

 

[The apprentice]

Thank you Bhaisahab.


I also go along with you regarding sentence number III because BE GOING TO is normally followed by a verb in its base form. This is an action happening at the moment of speaking; the verb WATCH hasn't implicitly been stated.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In my opinion, III can also mean that you intend to go to the soccer match. If you wish to convey the meaning of being on your way to the match, you could say that.

 

[The apprentice]

MikeNewYork


As to my knowledge, BE GOING TO is use for intention, and it's basically followed by a verb in its base form, do you think that the verb WATCH has been implicitly stated in sentence III?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes. There is no other reason to go to a soccer game.