Sunday, May 10, 2015

word usage - Confused by "come" vs "go"



Shall I come over to your place?



Why is it "come" rather than "go" ?



Answer



Let's see if we can confuse things even more...


Come and go are deictic when they refer to travel or walking, and usually they express the point of view of the speaker.


come {here}

go {there}


But when you are speaking with someone, if you use the word go, you are referring to a place that is not where you are and also not where the person is. With go, you are referring to a third place where neither of you are.


Imagine a phone call:



Hi, Jane. I am going to the library. (The speaker believes Jane is not at the library now).


Hi, Jane. I am coming to the library. (The speaker believes Jane is at the library now).



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