Timeline for "Going green" and "getting green"
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
10 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2016 at 14:39 | vote | accept | Alexey Murzin | ||
| Jul 2, 2016 at 19:38 | answer | added | DTRT | timeline score: 1 | |
| Jul 2, 2016 at 17:40 | history | migrated | from english.stackexchange.com (revisions) | ||
| Jun 29, 2016 at 17:26 | comment | added | Alexey Murzin | @nedibes Thanx. That's the reply I wanted to hear. | |
| Jun 28, 2016 at 14:34 | comment | added | nedibes | I agree that with the specific color green the verb "go" has a specific meaning (and I'm a Spartan, so to me "Go Green!" means something else again). However, if you alter your example to "The grass is [going/getting] brown" (due to lack of water, perhaps) then I think either is appropriate. Also "my hair is getting/going gray." In both cases, to my (AmE) ear, getting carries a slight implication of "and we should do something about that"--water or dye, respectively--whereas going is more just a general observation. (And if I did dye my hair, then I would be going blonde/red etc.) | |
| Jun 28, 2016 at 13:00 | comment | added | Ashwin Nair | I think 'The trees are going green' sounds more awkward in this context. | |
| Jun 28, 2016 at 12:43 | comment | added | TrevorD | In modern parlance, "going green" tends (at least in the UK) to mean "becoming environmentally friendly". Just a thought, is "going" used where the action is 'active' (e.g. making an effort to become environmentally friendly), and "getting" where the action is 'passive' (e.g. 'getting dark')? That would be consistent with "get" for "dark, light and late", whereas one would say "I'm getting cold/hot/tired/etc." which directly affects the person. | |
| Jun 28, 2016 at 12:32 | comment | added | Hot Licks | The trees are "turning green". (As is that guy at the end of the bar.) The XYZ Oil Exploitation Corporation is "going green" (which is to say it's going to "greenwash" the pollution it puts out). | |
| Jun 28, 2016 at 12:24 | comment | added | Max Williams | I think that, in the context of your example, you could use either and their meaning is the same. | |
| Jun 28, 2016 at 12:11 | history | asked | Alexey Murzin | CC BY-SA 3.0 |