6

I wonder which of the following is correct? Go waste or go wasted? Two examples:

  • I have spent a lot of time on this project. I really do not want my efforts to go waste(d).
  • If you do not practice regularly, your talent may go waste(d).

I have seen contradicting evidence on this topic. On the one hand, it seems to me that an adjective should be used after go. For example, we say he went aggressive where aggressive is an adjective. In this sense, wasted is preferred over waste. On the other hand, Google Ngram seems to suggest that go waste is more popular than go wasted.

Another related term I've seen is go to waste. I would appreciate it if you could also comment on this expression. Is it correct?

Improve this question
4
  • 7
    Looking at Google Books suggests that "go waste" may be an Indian English usage. US and UK usage is "go to waste", as James K says. Also, be careful with Ngrams searches - a lot of the results for "go waste" are actually for sentences like "how to go waste-free" or even "Where should it go? Waste has to go somewhere."
    – stangdon
    Commented Aug 15, 2022 at 18:16
  • 1
    Not to be confused with "get wasted", which is slang for "To get drunk or highly inebriated" - see new word submission to Collins dictionary
    – Jonathan
    Commented Aug 16, 2022 at 7:42
  • 3
    We don't say "he went aggressive". "he got aggresssive" is the correct form.
    – StrangerToKindness
    Commented Aug 16, 2022 at 9:18
  • 4
    "For example, we say he went aggressive" — you may hear native speakers say it this way sometimes, but I'd say this is non-standard. Better to say "he became aggressive". (Reading it without tone of voice/context, I thought that you meant "went" as in "left" — "he went aggressively" — and it was pretty confusing.)
    – anotherdave
    Commented Aug 16, 2022 at 13:05

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

The correct standard native speaking phrase is either:

  • to go to waste
  • to be wasted

Both of these are grammatically correct and commonly used in standard conversation.

"he went aggressive" is not grammatically correct in standard native English.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    If you explain why "he went aggressive" is ungrammatical and suggest how to fix it, it's +1 from me (on condition that I agree with your solution).
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Aug 17, 2022 at 7:42
  • To muddy the waters here, "going <adjective>" can be grammatical, as in "he went crazy." Furthermore, in gaming communities you will actually see the phrase "he went aggro" which is short for "he went aggressive."
    – Davis Yoshida
    Commented Aug 29, 2022 at 22:43
26

The idiom is "Go to waste". Your other alternatives are wrong.

Alternatively you can just say "... you may waste your talent."

Improve this answer
4
  • 4
    "Your other alternatives are wrong." In this context, at least. Something like "What are your plans for the concert?" "I'm going to go wasted," would be correct - the second speaker would be saying that they plan to go to the concert while drunk or otherwise highly inebriated.
    – nick012000
    Commented Aug 16, 2022 at 11:33
  • 4
    You can also say "be wasted".
    – Barmar
    Commented Aug 16, 2022 at 13:44
  • 3
    Just to be clear, "go wasted" in OP's examples above is grammatically correct and easily understood, it's just less idiomatic than most native speakers would phrase it. "Be wasted" might be more natural and slightly more literally correct.
    – Cristobol Polychronopolis
    Commented Aug 16, 2022 at 14:04
  • 5
    @CristobolPolychronopolis , I disagree. "Be wasted" is fine, and literal. "Go to waste" is a correct idiom. All the alternatives in the OP's question are illogical as naturally construed, and do not mean what the OP seems to be inquiring about; they seem to be some strange middle-ground between the literal phrase and the idiom, which ends up meaning something different than either.
    – david
    Commented Aug 16, 2022 at 18:08
3

Fully correct here are:

... be wasted

  • I have spent a lot of time on this project. I really do not want my efforts to be wasted.
  • If you do not practice regularly, your talent may be wasted

and

... go to waste

  • I have spent a lot of time on this project. I really do not want my efforts to go to waste.
  • If you do not practice regularly, your talent may go to waste.

"... go wasted." is not incorrect but is less commonly used.
This wording may jar slightly with some English speakers but would not be incorrect.

  • I have spent a lot of time on this project. I really do not want my efforts to go wasted.
  • If you do not practice regularly, your talent may go wasted
Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    I think if you wrote the sentences out in full it would be a great improvement otherwise visitors and learners will have to check the OP to remind themselves of the examples. I know I did.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Aug 17, 2022 at 12:58
  • 1
    @Mari-LouA Good point. Edited
    – Russell McMahon
    Commented Aug 18, 2022 at 9:05

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .