Posted by rfvv on Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 3:40pm.


Posted by rfvv on Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 3:21am.

{At a restaursant}
For hear or to go?
Is this for here or to go?
It's for here, please.
It is to go, please.

(Are the expressions above all grammatical? What is the meaning of 'is to' in 'It is to go, please.'?
Does it mean 'must'? That is, "It (the food) must go, please." Am I right? Would you let me know the meaning of 'It is to go, please.'?)

English - drwls, Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 3:46am
It is all grammatically OK, but "hear" in the first line should be "here".

"To go" is in this case being used as an descriptive adjective phrase, not ans an unconjugated verb. It means that the purchased "food to go" will be taken out and not eaten in the place where it was purchased. The alternative is to eat the food "here".

The last two lines are contradictory alternative answers. The "please" is a nice touch but would usually be omitted in America, since the person buying the food is really just answering a question.
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Thank you for your help.

{At a restaursant}
For hear or to go?
Is this for here or to go?
It's for here, please.
It is to go, please.

1. It is to go.
2. The food must go.

(Does #1 mean #2? What does 'it' mean?)

English - Writeacher, Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 4:02pm
{At a restaursant}
For here or to go?
Is this for here or to go?
It's for here, please.
It is to go, please.

1. It is to go.
2. The food must go.

(Does #1 mean #2? What does 'it' mean?)

No, #2 is not right. Just use #1. That's all you need!!

English - Writeacher, Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 4:03pm
PS -- "it" is referring to the order of food.
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Thank you for your help.

{At a restaursant}
For here or to go?
Is this for here or to go?
It's for here, please.
1. It is to go, please.

What is the use of 'to go' in #1?
For eaxample,

2. To see is to believe.

Is the role of 'to go' similar to the role of 'to believe'?

3. This food is to go.
4. This hamburger is to go.
5. This bread is to go.

(Are the three all grammatical?)

All your sentences are correct, yes.

These are infinitives:
to go
to see
to believe

Infinitives are verb phrases that are usually used in place of nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences.
http://chompchomp.com/terms/infinitivephrase.htm

The exceptions would be when they are used as idioms as in "This food is to go." The phrase "to go" in that sentence is an idiom meaning that the person will take the food home to eat it, and won't be eating it in the restaurant.

In sentence #2, though, "To see" is an infinitive serving as the subject of the sentence, and "to believe" is an infinitive serving as the predicate noun.

The phrase "to go" in #1 is used to indicate that the food will be taken out and not eaten at the restaurant. It is similar to the phrase "to be eaten outside of the restaurant".

In the example "To see is to believe", the phrase "to believe" acts as a complement to the verb "to see". It means that in order to believe something, you need to see it first.

Now, let's analyze the grammaticality of sentences 3, 4, and 5:
3. This food is to go. - This sentence is grammatically correct. It means that this food is meant to be taken out and not eaten at the restaurant.
4. This hamburger is to go. - This sentence is also grammatically correct. It means that this specific hamburger is intended to be taken out.
5. This bread is to go. - Similarly, this sentence is grammatically correct and means that this bread is meant to be taken out.

Overall, all three sentences are grammatical and convey the idea that the mentioned food items are not intended to be eaten at the restaurant, but rather taken out.