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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?

Pierre.Vriens
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juergen d
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    +1 I see this a lot in the writing of Japanese people learning English! – Golden Cuy Jan 24 '13 at 08:41
  • 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. – spiceyokooko Jan 24 '13 at 12:45
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    Whom is the objective case of who. It's not longer used in colloquial speech. – spiceyokooko Jan 24 '13 at 15:59
  • 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. –  Mar 07 '13 at 18:34

3 Answers3

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Gonna is informal; you can use it in written English, but it is not normally used in business English.

apaderno
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"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.

Manishearth
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    Quick 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. – Michael Dorgan Jun 10 '15 at 00:41
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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.

Walrus
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