Go Back   UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum > Learning English > Ask a Teacher


Closed Thread
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-May-2006, 05:23
Newbie
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 11
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

i was discussing when my student who happens to be a grammar teacher in Korea said "I HAVE GONE TO..." is grammatically wrong...
the phrase is widely used in the Philippines and i suppose it is right to use such to mean "i have visited..." or "i have been to..."
if it is wrong, why?
  #2  
Old 01-May-2006, 06:28
Newbie
Threadstarter  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 11
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

ahhh..i have read some postings before...

i have gone to means..."i am not here cos i have gone somewhere" which is simply illogical...cos nobod would be saying such...
the phrase is mainly used in the 2nd and 3rd person cases...

and american english would use the [phraes...the british english would
avoid using it!

comments please...add more
  #3  
Old 02-May-2006, 02:47
Editor, UsingEnglish.com
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 34,371
Home Country: UK
Native Language: British English
Current Location: Philippines
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

It depends on the context- if you're writing a note, it makes perfect sense to say 'I have gone to the shops' so that anyone readig it knows why you aren't there.
  #4  
Old 03-Oct-2008, 17:55
Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

I believe that "have gone to" implies that you are still there (at your destination) or on your way. That is why it is difficult to say it in the first person (except in a note).
"Have been to" refers to an experience, a visit... but you are back.

Fred has gone to Italy (he is in Italy or on his way there).
Fred has been to Italy (he is here, but in the past, sometime, he went to Italy).
  #5  
Old 03-Oct-2008, 18:34
BobK's Avatar
Harmless drudge
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,376
Home Country: UK
Native Language: English
Current Location: UK
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by julaaaaa View Post
I believe that "have gone to" implies that you are still there (at your destination) or on your way. That is why it is difficult to say it in the first person (except in a note).
...
This is true (in fact I think I said something like this elsewhere in this forum) as long as 'go' has a meaning involving physical movement. It's possible to say 'I've gone to great lengths to...' (because the speaker is still at the destination, it's just that the destination isn't physical so the speaker is still present). A speaker who says 'I've gone to great lengths to accommodate your demands' is signalling - by using 'gone' rather than 'been' - that he's not going any further: 'I've gone that far, and I'm staying there'. (At least, that's the way I hear it.)

b
  #6  
Old 04-Oct-2008, 04:10
Raymott's Avatar
VIP Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,996
Home Country: Australia
Native Language: English
Current Location: Australia
Member Type: Academic
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

This is also possible:

Doctor: How are you today?
Patient: I have gone from bad to worse. (Allowing for him to get even worse).

A: [On phone] I thought you were in Rome.
B: No, I've come/been and gone from Rome. I'm in Athens.

But none of this answers the OP's point.
"I have gone to ..." does not mean "I have been to ..."
  #7  
Old 04-Oct-2008, 06:32
Key Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,022
Home Country: Canada
Native Language: English
Current Location: Canada
Member Type: Other
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

In North American English, 'I have gone to...' is used to mean 'I have been to...'.
  #8  
Old 04-Oct-2008, 06:41
Soup's Avatar
VIP Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,893
Home Country: Canada
Native Language: English
Current Location: China
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2006 View Post
In North American English, 'I have gone to...' is used to mean 'I have been to...'.
Agreed.
  #9  
Old 04-Oct-2008, 07:59
bhaisahab's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 14,866
Home Country: England
Native Language: British English
Current Location: England
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2006 View Post
In North American English, 'I have gone to...' is used to mean 'I have been to...'.
It is completely illogical to say as opposed to write "I have gone to anywhere". If you had gone, you woudn't be there to say it.
  #10  
Old 04-Oct-2008, 08:58
Raymott's Avatar
VIP Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,996
Home Country: Australia
Native Language: English
Current Location: Australia
Member Type: Academic
Default Re: Is "I have gone to..." grammatically wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bhaisahab View Post
It is completely illogical to say as opposed to write "I have gone to anywhere". If you had gone, you woudn't be there to say it.
Since when has logic come into it? If that is how the Americans have decided they will say "I have been to ..." then that is what they understand by it, even if other English speakers don't.
Closed Thread

Bookmarks

Tags
quoti, gone, toquot, grammatically, wrong


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
"I suppose..." and "I think..." welldone Ask a Teacher 2 25-Oct-2006 04:53
"I knew it" or "I know it" pink dragon Ask a Teacher 5 10-Jan-2006 06:29
is it wrong for malaysians to use -lah in english? koomalesh Ask a Teacher 1 18-Jul-2005 12:09
Is this sentence wrong grammatically? Bala Ask a Teacher 1 16-Jun-2005 09:30
Why use "the" before "wrong number"? Anonymous Ask a Teacher 29 09-Jul-2004 09:32


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:49.



Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO ©2011, Crawlability, Inc.