Private or privately

[bagsforlife]

It drives me mad when people refer to 'going private' as in schools or healthcare. Even MPs and people in authority seem to say it. Shouldn't it be 'privately' as in 'you have the choice to go privately for healthcare/education' (I know that sentence in itself is wrong, but I can't think of a better example!!)not 'people who choose to go private' etc etc. I always want to shriek 'privateLY'....Please someone tell me if I am wrong and I shall stop fuming about it.

I would think its privately too!

If they are going privately, they are going without anyone knowing they are going, which isn't the same meaning. Since the meaning of "going private" is unambigious, I would say it is the better usage. The less confusing usage is always the better one - that's the nature of an evolving language.

Allfalldown is right. Going privately has a different meaning and is a common, well understood expression. A kind of shorthand, using private as short for 'private school' or 'private hospital' - as in 'going to a private school' 'or going down the private education route'. you don't refer to a 'privately school'. It's as if someone said they were 'going state', you wouldn't expect them to say 'going stately'

Thanks very much, that has explained it properly to me. I will no longer fume, or should it be fume no longer...