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The phrase "go so far as to" say or do something, is common. But if I want to describe extreme distance such as traveling to a distant country. Can I use something like:

I could not imaging I could go so far as to America

If the above phrase is not correct, can you suggest other phrases.

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  • It's actually "go so far as (to-infinitive)", not "go so far as to". Does that help?
    – John Feltz
    Commented Aug 10, 2018 at 13:50
  • I'm not getting what you mean by (to-infinitive). Can you give an example to clarify? And do you mean I can't use this phrase with location (e.g. far country)?
    – user9371654
    Commented Aug 10, 2018 at 13:56
  • Is "go to as far as America" correct?
    – user9371654
    Commented Aug 10, 2018 at 13:57
  • "to-infinitive" is the infinitive form of a verb. "to say", "to eat", "to breathe". In this form, 'to' is not a preposition, but is part of the verb.
    – John Feltz
    Commented Aug 10, 2018 at 14:22

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For going to a location (even metaphorically), you use a slightly different phrase.

I did not think I would go as far as America.

I never thought I would get as far as Hollywood.

He'll never go as far as he wants in his football career if he doesn't practice the fundamentals more.

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The phrase 'go so far as to' must be followed by a verb, e.g. 'say' or 'do'. It cannot be followed by a noun, e.g. 'America'. So you could say:

I did not think he would go so far as to go to America.

This is a rather clumsy sentence, so, although the meaning might be slightly different, you may prefer to say:

I did not think he would go as far as America.

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