Gonna is a short form of going to.
That sounds a little bit like slang. Is it common to use it in written English and even in business English?
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3+1 I see this a lot in the writing of Japanese people learning English!– Golden CuyCommented Jan 24, 2013 at 8:41
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I wouldn't use it in written business English, it's too informal but it could be used as a colloquialism in dialogue in a novel.– spiceyokookoCommented Jan 24, 2013 at 12:45
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1Whom is the objective case of who. It's not longer used in colloquial speech.– spiceyokookoCommented Jan 24, 2013 at 15:59
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Note that gonna is eye dialect for a particular contraction of going to. Even in informal text where eye dialect is appropriate, it can't be used unless it would be natural to contract the phrase in speech. *"I'm gonna the store" is strange, for example.– user230Commented Mar 7, 2013 at 18:34
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3 Answers
"Gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to". It's used in informal speech.
While informal writing is, well, informal (and thus the rules are loosely defined), I've never seen "gonna" in writing, except in SMSspeak. And, of course, in written dialogues in novels/etc.
So, while there's nothing stopping you from using it wherever you want, I suggest you only use it in informal writing if you want to have it in a dialogue. Never use it in formal English.
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1Quick note: gonna replace the near future tense of
going to, not the act of actually going somewhere.I'm gonna be going to the store soon.The second cannot be replaced. Commented Jun 10, 2015 at 0:41
Gonna is informal; you can use it in written English, but it is not normally used in business English.
answered Jan 24, 2013 at 8:41
Never in writing, unless you are writing dialogue in a novel. And never in a job application! It is slang, use it in informal speech, text messages, only with people you know.
