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PonyFan Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Had better be going


Well, in that case we’d better be going.
Could you tell me the reason why the bare infinitive part is "be going(progressive form?), not just "going"? Are there any differences between "had better be going" and "had better going"? Thanks in advance!

The line is quoted from http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xsky32_my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-1-episode-1-the-mare-in-the-moon-captioned_shortfilms at 15:25

The transcript is available http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Transcripts/Friendship_is_Magic,_part_1
  

Top answer

'going' is an -ing form (participle/gerund) not an infinitive. continuous verb form. I am (present) going = present progressive/continuous of GO I have been (present perfect) going = present perfect progressive/continuous of GO be (infinitive) going = progressive/continuous infinitive of GO I had better go (non-progressive/continuous) and I had better be going (progressive/continuous) are possible.

— Fivejedjon

  • 'going' is an -ing form (participle/gerund) not an infinitive.
  • continuous verb form.
  • I am (present) going = present progressive/continuous of GO I have been (present perfect) going = present perfect progressive/continuous of GO be (infinitive) going = progressive/continuous infinitive of GO I had better go (non-progressive/continuous) and I had better be going (progressive/continuous) are possible.
  • I had better going is not.
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4 Answers
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'going' is an -ing form (participle/gerund) not an infinitive. It is used with part of the verb BE to construct a progressive.continuous verb form.

I am (present) going = present progressive/continuous of GO
I have been (present perfect) going = present perfect progressive/continuous of GO
be (infinitive) going = progressive/continu
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Oh my goodness! I mistyped the sentence! What I wanted to write was Are there any differences between "had better be going" and "had better go"?. Could you tell me the difference of nuance between the two?
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To my ear, they sound the same
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PonyFannuance
They are essentially the same, but if you want nuances, the 'be going' version suggests starting to think about leaving, maybe making some preliminary moves to take leave, as from a party among friends. The 'go' version suggests something more immediate, even a quick escape, as when you notice signs of an imminent barroom brawl.
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