When “he's gone” means “he's dead”, is it a contraction of “he is” or “he has”?This is gotta be the worst job in the worldWhen the contraction can't be used

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When “he's gone” means “he's dead”, is it a contraction of “he is” or “he has”?


This is gotta be the worst job in the worldWhen the contraction can't be used






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2















I have seen this a lot in movies. When a man dies, another person goes near him, feels his pulse, and then says in a sad voice: "He's gone".



Is this a contraction of "he is gone", or "he has gone"?



I don't think it makes much sense to use the passive voice with the word "go", nor do I think "he has gone" could mean someone is dead (because it could also mean someone goes to another place and is potentially ambiguous).










share|improve this question
























  • Nothing "ambiguous" about a corpse. Common sense provides the meaning. Either is gone, or has gone. Both are correct.

    – Michael Harvey
    9 hours ago











  • It's just that, I've never heard anyone use "he has gone" by a corpse. And I imagine it would be weird to do so.

    – trisct
    9 hours ago











  • Here's a clear-cut instance from a competent writer (1935?) using I am sorry he has gone to mean is dead / has died. I think it's generally fairly meaningless to ask which of those latter two alternatives most accurately corresponds to the actual gone usage, since the meaning is the same regardless. But no-one would normally say He is gone instead of ...is dead.

    – FumbleFingers
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    trisct - A corpse is a dead person. Someone saying "he's gone" about an adjacent, recumbent, unconscious person, is saying it about a corpse. Fumblefingers - I might say "He is gone" about a newly dead person. I am British, kind of old-fashioned, and bookish, yes, but still, it means your "no-one would normally say" is not right.

    – Michael Harvey
    8 hours ago












  • This still moves me every time I read it, more so if I do it aloud: Remember me when I am gone away,/Gone far away into the silent land;/When you can no more hold me by the hand/Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. (Christina Rossetti - Remember).

    – Michael Harvey
    6 hours ago


















2















I have seen this a lot in movies. When a man dies, another person goes near him, feels his pulse, and then says in a sad voice: "He's gone".



Is this a contraction of "he is gone", or "he has gone"?



I don't think it makes much sense to use the passive voice with the word "go", nor do I think "he has gone" could mean someone is dead (because it could also mean someone goes to another place and is potentially ambiguous).










share|improve this question
























  • Nothing "ambiguous" about a corpse. Common sense provides the meaning. Either is gone, or has gone. Both are correct.

    – Michael Harvey
    9 hours ago











  • It's just that, I've never heard anyone use "he has gone" by a corpse. And I imagine it would be weird to do so.

    – trisct
    9 hours ago











  • Here's a clear-cut instance from a competent writer (1935?) using I am sorry he has gone to mean is dead / has died. I think it's generally fairly meaningless to ask which of those latter two alternatives most accurately corresponds to the actual gone usage, since the meaning is the same regardless. But no-one would normally say He is gone instead of ...is dead.

    – FumbleFingers
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    trisct - A corpse is a dead person. Someone saying "he's gone" about an adjacent, recumbent, unconscious person, is saying it about a corpse. Fumblefingers - I might say "He is gone" about a newly dead person. I am British, kind of old-fashioned, and bookish, yes, but still, it means your "no-one would normally say" is not right.

    – Michael Harvey
    8 hours ago












  • This still moves me every time I read it, more so if I do it aloud: Remember me when I am gone away,/Gone far away into the silent land;/When you can no more hold me by the hand/Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. (Christina Rossetti - Remember).

    – Michael Harvey
    6 hours ago














2












2








2








I have seen this a lot in movies. When a man dies, another person goes near him, feels his pulse, and then says in a sad voice: "He's gone".



Is this a contraction of "he is gone", or "he has gone"?



I don't think it makes much sense to use the passive voice with the word "go", nor do I think "he has gone" could mean someone is dead (because it could also mean someone goes to another place and is potentially ambiguous).










share|improve this question














I have seen this a lot in movies. When a man dies, another person goes near him, feels his pulse, and then says in a sad voice: "He's gone".



Is this a contraction of "he is gone", or "he has gone"?



I don't think it makes much sense to use the passive voice with the word "go", nor do I think "he has gone" could mean someone is dead (because it could also mean someone goes to another place and is potentially ambiguous).







contractions






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked 9 hours ago









triscttrisct

3561 silver badge9 bronze badges




3561 silver badge9 bronze badges















  • Nothing "ambiguous" about a corpse. Common sense provides the meaning. Either is gone, or has gone. Both are correct.

    – Michael Harvey
    9 hours ago











  • It's just that, I've never heard anyone use "he has gone" by a corpse. And I imagine it would be weird to do so.

    – trisct
    9 hours ago











  • Here's a clear-cut instance from a competent writer (1935?) using I am sorry he has gone to mean is dead / has died. I think it's generally fairly meaningless to ask which of those latter two alternatives most accurately corresponds to the actual gone usage, since the meaning is the same regardless. But no-one would normally say He is gone instead of ...is dead.

    – FumbleFingers
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    trisct - A corpse is a dead person. Someone saying "he's gone" about an adjacent, recumbent, unconscious person, is saying it about a corpse. Fumblefingers - I might say "He is gone" about a newly dead person. I am British, kind of old-fashioned, and bookish, yes, but still, it means your "no-one would normally say" is not right.

    – Michael Harvey
    8 hours ago












  • This still moves me every time I read it, more so if I do it aloud: Remember me when I am gone away,/Gone far away into the silent land;/When you can no more hold me by the hand/Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. (Christina Rossetti - Remember).

    – Michael Harvey
    6 hours ago


















  • Nothing "ambiguous" about a corpse. Common sense provides the meaning. Either is gone, or has gone. Both are correct.

    – Michael Harvey
    9 hours ago











  • It's just that, I've never heard anyone use "he has gone" by a corpse. And I imagine it would be weird to do so.

    – trisct
    9 hours ago











  • Here's a clear-cut instance from a competent writer (1935?) using I am sorry he has gone to mean is dead / has died. I think it's generally fairly meaningless to ask which of those latter two alternatives most accurately corresponds to the actual gone usage, since the meaning is the same regardless. But no-one would normally say He is gone instead of ...is dead.

    – FumbleFingers
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    trisct - A corpse is a dead person. Someone saying "he's gone" about an adjacent, recumbent, unconscious person, is saying it about a corpse. Fumblefingers - I might say "He is gone" about a newly dead person. I am British, kind of old-fashioned, and bookish, yes, but still, it means your "no-one would normally say" is not right.

    – Michael Harvey
    8 hours ago












  • This still moves me every time I read it, more so if I do it aloud: Remember me when I am gone away,/Gone far away into the silent land;/When you can no more hold me by the hand/Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. (Christina Rossetti - Remember).

    – Michael Harvey
    6 hours ago

















Nothing "ambiguous" about a corpse. Common sense provides the meaning. Either is gone, or has gone. Both are correct.

– Michael Harvey
9 hours ago





Nothing "ambiguous" about a corpse. Common sense provides the meaning. Either is gone, or has gone. Both are correct.

– Michael Harvey
9 hours ago













It's just that, I've never heard anyone use "he has gone" by a corpse. And I imagine it would be weird to do so.

– trisct
9 hours ago





It's just that, I've never heard anyone use "he has gone" by a corpse. And I imagine it would be weird to do so.

– trisct
9 hours ago













Here's a clear-cut instance from a competent writer (1935?) using I am sorry he has gone to mean is dead / has died. I think it's generally fairly meaningless to ask which of those latter two alternatives most accurately corresponds to the actual gone usage, since the meaning is the same regardless. But no-one would normally say He is gone instead of ...is dead.

– FumbleFingers
8 hours ago






Here's a clear-cut instance from a competent writer (1935?) using I am sorry he has gone to mean is dead / has died. I think it's generally fairly meaningless to ask which of those latter two alternatives most accurately corresponds to the actual gone usage, since the meaning is the same regardless. But no-one would normally say He is gone instead of ...is dead.

– FumbleFingers
8 hours ago





2




2





trisct - A corpse is a dead person. Someone saying "he's gone" about an adjacent, recumbent, unconscious person, is saying it about a corpse. Fumblefingers - I might say "He is gone" about a newly dead person. I am British, kind of old-fashioned, and bookish, yes, but still, it means your "no-one would normally say" is not right.

– Michael Harvey
8 hours ago






trisct - A corpse is a dead person. Someone saying "he's gone" about an adjacent, recumbent, unconscious person, is saying it about a corpse. Fumblefingers - I might say "He is gone" about a newly dead person. I am British, kind of old-fashioned, and bookish, yes, but still, it means your "no-one would normally say" is not right.

– Michael Harvey
8 hours ago














This still moves me every time I read it, more so if I do it aloud: Remember me when I am gone away,/Gone far away into the silent land;/When you can no more hold me by the hand/Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. (Christina Rossetti - Remember).

– Michael Harvey
6 hours ago






This still moves me every time I read it, more so if I do it aloud: Remember me when I am gone away,/Gone far away into the silent land;/When you can no more hold me by the hand/Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. (Christina Rossetti - Remember).

– Michael Harvey
6 hours ago











1 Answer
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active

oldest

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6














"gone", mostly in the form of "He (or she) is gone" or (less often) "he has gone", is a common euphemism for "He is dead" or "he has died". Both may be and often will be contracted to "he's gone" (or she).



This is normally phrased in the passive voice, which omits the cause and agent of death. Often the cause is not known, and even when it is, when the speaker is using an euphemism, the speaker often prefers not to specify the exact cause.



In police procedural novels, and medical thrillers, it is very common for someone to check the pulse and heart action of an injured or ill person and say "he's gone" or "he is gone" in the present tense, meaning that the person has just died. I believe this reflects the actual usage of real medical and police personnel.



This figurative meaning of "gone" should not be confused with more literal meanings, where it indicates actual movement, although it may ultimately be derived from "He has gone to Heaven" or a similar image. "Gone" is less likely to be used for died when the death is not quite recent. Other euphemisms, such as "passed", are in my experience more often used in that situation.



Some people, of course, prefer to avoid any euphemisms, and will say "he died", "he has died", and "he is dead" (depending on the tense of the overall statement). (Of course, "she" can also be used in any of these cases.)



There can be cases where this use of "gone" is ambiguous, but in practical terms, it is almost always quite clear when the speaker means "he is dead".






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    "gone", mostly in the form of "He (or she) is gone" or (less often) "he has gone", is a common euphemism for "He is dead" or "he has died". Both may be and often will be contracted to "he's gone" (or she).



    This is normally phrased in the passive voice, which omits the cause and agent of death. Often the cause is not known, and even when it is, when the speaker is using an euphemism, the speaker often prefers not to specify the exact cause.



    In police procedural novels, and medical thrillers, it is very common for someone to check the pulse and heart action of an injured or ill person and say "he's gone" or "he is gone" in the present tense, meaning that the person has just died. I believe this reflects the actual usage of real medical and police personnel.



    This figurative meaning of "gone" should not be confused with more literal meanings, where it indicates actual movement, although it may ultimately be derived from "He has gone to Heaven" or a similar image. "Gone" is less likely to be used for died when the death is not quite recent. Other euphemisms, such as "passed", are in my experience more often used in that situation.



    Some people, of course, prefer to avoid any euphemisms, and will say "he died", "he has died", and "he is dead" (depending on the tense of the overall statement). (Of course, "she" can also be used in any of these cases.)



    There can be cases where this use of "gone" is ambiguous, but in practical terms, it is almost always quite clear when the speaker means "he is dead".






    share|improve this answer































      6














      "gone", mostly in the form of "He (or she) is gone" or (less often) "he has gone", is a common euphemism for "He is dead" or "he has died". Both may be and often will be contracted to "he's gone" (or she).



      This is normally phrased in the passive voice, which omits the cause and agent of death. Often the cause is not known, and even when it is, when the speaker is using an euphemism, the speaker often prefers not to specify the exact cause.



      In police procedural novels, and medical thrillers, it is very common for someone to check the pulse and heart action of an injured or ill person and say "he's gone" or "he is gone" in the present tense, meaning that the person has just died. I believe this reflects the actual usage of real medical and police personnel.



      This figurative meaning of "gone" should not be confused with more literal meanings, where it indicates actual movement, although it may ultimately be derived from "He has gone to Heaven" or a similar image. "Gone" is less likely to be used for died when the death is not quite recent. Other euphemisms, such as "passed", are in my experience more often used in that situation.



      Some people, of course, prefer to avoid any euphemisms, and will say "he died", "he has died", and "he is dead" (depending on the tense of the overall statement). (Of course, "she" can also be used in any of these cases.)



      There can be cases where this use of "gone" is ambiguous, but in practical terms, it is almost always quite clear when the speaker means "he is dead".






      share|improve this answer





























        6












        6








        6







        "gone", mostly in the form of "He (or she) is gone" or (less often) "he has gone", is a common euphemism for "He is dead" or "he has died". Both may be and often will be contracted to "he's gone" (or she).



        This is normally phrased in the passive voice, which omits the cause and agent of death. Often the cause is not known, and even when it is, when the speaker is using an euphemism, the speaker often prefers not to specify the exact cause.



        In police procedural novels, and medical thrillers, it is very common for someone to check the pulse and heart action of an injured or ill person and say "he's gone" or "he is gone" in the present tense, meaning that the person has just died. I believe this reflects the actual usage of real medical and police personnel.



        This figurative meaning of "gone" should not be confused with more literal meanings, where it indicates actual movement, although it may ultimately be derived from "He has gone to Heaven" or a similar image. "Gone" is less likely to be used for died when the death is not quite recent. Other euphemisms, such as "passed", are in my experience more often used in that situation.



        Some people, of course, prefer to avoid any euphemisms, and will say "he died", "he has died", and "he is dead" (depending on the tense of the overall statement). (Of course, "she" can also be used in any of these cases.)



        There can be cases where this use of "gone" is ambiguous, but in practical terms, it is almost always quite clear when the speaker means "he is dead".






        share|improve this answer















        "gone", mostly in the form of "He (or she) is gone" or (less often) "he has gone", is a common euphemism for "He is dead" or "he has died". Both may be and often will be contracted to "he's gone" (or she).



        This is normally phrased in the passive voice, which omits the cause and agent of death. Often the cause is not known, and even when it is, when the speaker is using an euphemism, the speaker often prefers not to specify the exact cause.



        In police procedural novels, and medical thrillers, it is very common for someone to check the pulse and heart action of an injured or ill person and say "he's gone" or "he is gone" in the present tense, meaning that the person has just died. I believe this reflects the actual usage of real medical and police personnel.



        This figurative meaning of "gone" should not be confused with more literal meanings, where it indicates actual movement, although it may ultimately be derived from "He has gone to Heaven" or a similar image. "Gone" is less likely to be used for died when the death is not quite recent. Other euphemisms, such as "passed", are in my experience more often used in that situation.



        Some people, of course, prefer to avoid any euphemisms, and will say "he died", "he has died", and "he is dead" (depending on the tense of the overall statement). (Of course, "she" can also be used in any of these cases.)



        There can be cases where this use of "gone" is ambiguous, but in practical terms, it is almost always quite clear when the speaker means "he is dead".







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








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