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Sometimes I see go XXX (go home) and sometimes go to XXX (go to school, go to work). Is there any specific rule about this?

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    @Jasper Loy: I was totally distracted by the use of somewhere without the delimiters <>, taking it literally. Now when I check the original, I feel the original conveyed the OP's intention better.
    – Kris
    Commented Jan 3, 2012 at 12:29

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When go is followed by a noun, it needs to. When it's followed by anything else, it doesn't. (In 'go home', home is an adverb.)

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    I expected this answer to be challenged. I'd be grateful if the down-voter would do so, perhaps by producing counter-examples.
    – Barrie England
    Commented Jan 3, 2012 at 7:55
  • So I should wait for more answers, right?
    – Luke Vo
    Commented Jan 3, 2012 at 11:21
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    @W.N.: Some words may not immediately appear to be nouns and therefore seem to conflict: Go fishing*/ *Go shopping. In reality, I do not see any conflict here, though.
    – Kris
    Commented Jan 3, 2012 at 11:42
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    @PeterShor: "Downtown" is listed as an adverb (which is how I understand it in your example) as well as an adjective and a noun (Oxford Dictionaries Online). It doesn't exactly deviate from the rule that Barrie has given. As for "home", the same source lists it as an adverb, too.
    – Irene
    Commented Jan 5, 2012 at 12:55
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    Go fly a kite!
    – z7sg Ѫ
    Commented Jan 5, 2012 at 13:08

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