Tackling て行く

Onto て行く. Again I'll start with 'A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar''s definition - 'some action or state keeps changing from the point in time at which the speaker first describes the action'.

Here's one of their example sentences:
これからは寒くなって行くよ, it will get colder (and continue to be that way) from now on. So the point in time (which I guess is an important element to this form) is これから, but why not just say 寒くなる?

Here's an other example sentence:
その頃から日本の経済は強くなって行った, 'from that time on the Japanese economy grew stronger (and continued to grow that way). So again, there's a spoken point in time mentioned - その頃から. In fact, I'm noticing that in all the example sentences they give, all except one specify the 'point in time'. The one that isn't specified is:

分からないことをノートに書いて行った, I went on taking notes on things I didn't understand. So I take it there's an unspoken 'point in time' in this sentence? I guess the point in time might be when the speaker realised he didn't understand anything.

Am I getting this all right? The hard part's going to be actually applying it to my own sentences.

Bucko said:

Onto て行く. Again I'll start with 'A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar''s definition - 'some action or state keeps changing from the point in time at which the speaker first describes the action'.
Here's one of their example sentences:
これからは寒くなって行くよ, it will get colder (and continue to be that way) from now on. So the point in time (which I guess is an important element to this form) is これから, but why not just say 寒くなる?

Click to expand...

Sometimes I don't think there is much change at all in the English translation of 寒くなる、寒くなっている、寒くなってきている、寒くなってきた） depending on the context....For instance, you can use each one with the example "It is getting colder day by day" 日毎に。。。日々日々に。。 The only difference would be that きた or きている gives the sense of coming or having come towards the speaker (perhaps in an emotionally foreboding or uncomfortable way) whereas 寒く行く gives me the feeling of being more objective or analytical. The cold will develop here shortly, stay for some period, change in strength and move on.

て行った obviously implies the action or phenomenon has come, was present for some time and has now ceased. I would say because this refers to historical examples it is probably the least common of the four くる、きた、いく、いった。At least the one I don't happen to see very often.

Here's an other example sentence:
その頃から日本の経済は強くなって行った, 'from that time on the Japanese economy grew stronger (and continued to grow that way). So again, there's a spoken point in time mentioned - その頃から. In fact, I'm noticing that in all the example sentences they give, all except one specify the 'point in time'. The one that isn't specified is:
分からないことをノートに書いて行った, I went on taking notes on things I didn't understand. So I take it there's an unspoken 'point in time' in this sentence? I guess the point in time might be when the speaker realised he didn't understand anything.
Am I getting this all right? The hard part's going to be actually applying it to my own sentences.

Click to expand...