[Grammar] Lisa went shopping

[Oceanlike]

In sentence (1), I understand that 'shopping' is a gerund, while went is the verb. Can I replace 'shopping' with 'to shop', as in sentence (2)? If not, please help me to understand why.


1) Lisa went shopping at the new mall with her mother.

2) Lisa went to shop at the new mall with her mother.


Thank you! :-D

 

[emsr2d2]

You can but the result isn't as natural.

 

[Oceanlike]

You can but the result isn't as natural.

This means that it is grammatically correct if I use 'to shop'?

I'm wondering when I should use gerund and when I should use the infinitive. How do I make the distinction?

Thank you!

 

[teechar]

There's no easy answer to that question. Some verbs can be followed by gerunds, others by infinitives (bare and "to"), and yet others can be followed by either!

 

[emsr2d2]

Sometimes it's just a case of learning common/natural collocations, such as "to go shopping", "to go swimming", "to go skiing". There are many others.