going to drive

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "going to drive" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate a future intention or plan to operate a vehicle. Example: "I am going to drive to the beach this weekend."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

56 human-written examples

That's going to drive integrity.

The New York Times

That's going to drive success.

The New York Times

"OK, I am going to drive in.

The Guardian - Books

It's going to drive you insane".

The New Yorker

It's going to drive you mad.

The Guardian

"I'm going to drive this campaign home".

The New York Times

That's what's going to drive the price.

The New York Times

We're going to drive some defensive coordinators crazy".

The New York Times - Sports

This car wasn't going to drive itself to Mom's house.

The New York Times

That's going to drive everything about the company.

The New York Times

"He's the one that's going to drive the agenda".

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

To avoid using the phrase repetitively, you can alternate with phrases like "planning to drive" or "intending to drive", depending on the context.

Common error

Avoid using "going to drive" when you mean to influence or motivate something, as the term implies operating a vehicle, not necessarily causing an action. In this case, you may prefer other alternatives to express the concept of influence or motivation, like "going to boost".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "going to drive" primarily functions as a future tense verb phrase. It combines the auxiliary verb "going to" with the base form of the verb "drive" to express a future action or intention, as highlighted by Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

15%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "going to drive" is a grammatically correct and very common verb phrase used to express a future plan or intention to operate a vehicle, as shown by Ludwig. It is considered to have a neutral register, suitable for both informal and professional contexts. Ludwig's analysis indicates that the phrase is most frequently found in News & Media, but it also appears in Science and Business. While generally straightforward, it's important to differentiate the action of operating a vehicle from metaphorically influencing something, to ensure clarity in communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

will drive

Uses a different auxiliary verb to express future intention.

intending to drive

Replaces the more informal "going to" with the more formal "intending to".

planning to drive

Emphasizes the planning aspect of the future action.

about to drive

Indicates an action that will happen very soon.

aiming to drive

Suggests a goal or objective related to driving.

preparing to drive

Highlights the preparatory actions before driving.

set to drive

Implies a scheduled or arranged driving activity.

driving

Short form which might express an intention to drive within the context.

shall drive

Uses a more formal and somewhat archaic auxiliary verb.

must drive

Expresses obligation or necessity to drive.

FAQs

How can I use "going to drive" in a sentence?

You can use "going to drive" to express a future intention to operate a vehicle. For instance, "I'm "going to drive" to work tomorrow morning".

What's a more formal way to say "going to drive"?

A more formal alternative to "going to drive" is "intending to drive". This emphasizes the planned nature of the action.

Is it correct to say "going to drove" instead of "going to drive"?

No, "going to drove" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "going to drive", where "drive" is the base form of the verb.

Can I use "will drive" instead of "going to drive"?

Yes, you can use "will drive" as an alternative to "going to drive". Both express future intentions, but "going to drive" often implies a pre-existing plan.