Forum newsfeeds
Forum Newsfeeds


Sites for Teachers

Sites for Teachers




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

Notices

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 02-Nov-2004, 04:00
Unregistered
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default "been" vs. "gone"

A student asked me what's the difference between "been" and "gone" when you are talking about having visited a place. Can anyone tell me what the rule is?

Thanks
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 03-Nov-2004, 08:43
Mister Micawber's Avatar
Key Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Country: USA
Posts: 1,822
Current Location: Japan
First Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
Thanks: 0
Thanked 15 Times in 15 Posts
Mister Micawber is on a distinguished road
Default Re: "been" vs. "gone"

Let's set up an example:

(1) She has been to Shanghai.
(2) She has gone to Shanghai.

(1) emphasizes her presence in the city, hence is the normal answer to the query about whether she has experienced the place.

(2) emphasizes the travelling, the moving, so could also be used to answer the question 'where is she?'

There is no 'rule'. Because of the different verbs, however, the sentences can carry different meanings in different contexts.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
quotbeenquot, quotgonequot

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may 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 On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


New To Site? Need Help?

All times are GMT. The time now is 02:52.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0
Copyright © 2002 - 2008 UsingEnglish.com