Function
The use of "going to" to refer to future events suggests a very strong link to the present. The precise moment is not relevant, it is after the now, but the attitude implies that said event depends on something we know about the current situation. "Going to" is mostly used to talk about our plans and intentions, or to make predictions based on current evidence. In everyday speech, "going to" is often shortened to "gonna", especially in American English, although it is never written that way.
BY MICHAEL CUMBICUS
