Gone and V-ed

P2052 at AOL.COM P2052 at AOL.COM
Wed Nov 8 18:28:10 UTC 2000


I've heard the "(done) gone and V-ed," "(done) went and V-ed," and even "up
and "V-ed"--all of which I construe as the speaker's attempt to report not
just the act (V-ed) but his/her shock/suprise at (disbelief of or contempt
for) that act.  Compare the following:
            A.  He (done) gone and killed his mama.
            B.  He went and killed his mama.
            C.  He up and killed his mama.
My interpretation of all three is that the speaker is that the first "verb"
in the conjoined pair should not be interpreted literally; rather, it has a
pragmatic purpose:
to express the speaker's negative reaction to the act itself.
                                PAT



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